Real Good for Free: The Paradox of Leisure Time

The Huffington Post:

I’m pretty busy. Like most people I know, I try to balance a lot of different things: a full-time job, household chores, cooking and meals, regular exercise, time with family and friends. Throw in an occasional bike ride, a movie or museum, maybe even reading a book — oh, and sleep — and there aren’t many free minutes left in a typical week.

Yet I volunteer my time, too. I do this because it’s a good cause, but also because it makes me feel good. And somewhat surprisingly, I’ve never had the sense that this is one more obligation chipping away at my already compressed day. Indeed, it sometimes seems the other way around, as if working for free eases the time pressure of modern life.

Read the whole story: The Huffington Post