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Not having enough time to do all the things you enjoy?

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I was just wondering if anyone else experiences this? It is starting to bother me a lot lately, like I'm not even sure what makes me happy to be honest! When I was 21 years olf, I had no job and I was really depressed and everything trying to find a job and now that I'm in a apprenticeship and just turned 23, I've been workig for about over a year now and I thoght this would make me really happy, I am really happy I have a job don't get me wrong but the problem is, it makes me feel not right/ quite upset because I don't have enough time to myself to go on all my interests what I enjoy, I have SO many fun options of what I should spend my time on, these invloce needing to watch a movie, play on my PS4, I am currently playing Watch Dogs, or going on my computer, I don't have enough time to do all of these things after work which really annoys me because too much work and not enough time for fun :(, I can go on my laptop for a while, then play PS4 but by the time I finished on my laptop and go on the PS4, I only get like an hour not even that sometimes then I have to eat supper, all the other routines and go to bed ready for work again, I work 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Thn Saturdays, I really want to go out with my friends, watch a movie or something but I just feel I NEED that time alone to do all the things I enjoy in the whole day. Watch Dogs on PS4, there's just soooo much to do it just upsets me, I love video games but the problem is as I got older, I just wish I could just get on with it instead of messing about with all them random different things! I just feel like I'm trapped but I love my interests though.

Has anyone else experienced this and how do you cope with it? I really hope I'm not growing out of video games but it seems like it cos everytime I start to play, I am addicted to it but I feel like I can't be bothered?

  • I feel the same. I wish I had more time and more energy to do all the things I want to do. Being well organised and working to a schedule can help considerably. So can making a list of priorities.  But even so, lack of time is a fact of life for everyone.

  • Yeah, I want to do anything and everything.  There is either not enough hours in the day or enough energy in me to do it. 

  • I have this problem too, for the last few months I've been working full time hours instead of part time like last year and it's really hard to fit everything in. I've started an allotment, bought a beehive (which I just made the frames for today) and help at a community apiary too, I also go bell ringing twice a week so there really isn't much time at all. It's so hard to fit it all in so I get really tired trying to. as well as people wanting me to be social too, I don't really hang out with anyone near my age but sometimes I meet up with my mum and her friend and I have a lot to do with my god parents who are teaching me about beekeeping. oh and  I've just started driving lessons too. But from thursday I'm working 9 days straight, at least 8 hours each day then I get one day off which I'm going to a theme park and then back at work again. its exhausting and mostly because of the act I have to put on at work to try to be 'normal' and pretend I understand what people are talking about all the time. 

    Longman is correct though that I'm sure everyone has this problem but because navigating daily life can be so difficult and confusing (I certainly find this very hard working in a restaurant) it's even more stressful and tiring for many if us and our ways of coping are the interests we have and our time to ourselves. 

  • The balance between work and play is a fairly universal subject, so it is one you could usefully discuss on forums outside autism as well as within. Obviously there will be different issues for NTs but its one of life's big topics.

    If you add raising a family, gaining extra qualifications, DIY around a house and garden and general domestic chores it is hardly surprisiong most people complain about not having enough time. Indeed some people with really important talents or skills they dream about succeeding in they have to set aside for some time in the future when they hope things will be better. That's a waste of good talent.

    Few people are able to fulfil their interests through the kinds of job they can get, so that increases the pressure for being able to make good use of free time.

    But even if not immediately obvious, with some modifications or changes in direction, are there some ways your interests can benefit your employability? Can you get some bonus satisfaction from the work you do.

    Otherwise it is a massive trade-off. One option is to produce a list of leisure interests in order of priority, to find out which ones you really need every night, which ones you can do once a week, once a month and so on. That way you can diary less frequent leisure events and look forward to them.

    It may also enable you to merge some interests into one readily engagable form, and set aside others for the future.