Introduction: Time is the greatest possession of a man. Other possessions and articles can be bought, retained and exchanged, but time can neither be purchased nor can be retained or exchanged. Time once lost is lost forever. The loss of time is irreparable. A man is known by how he uses his leisure. The man who uses his leisure most usefully is the wisest man in the world. When we read the biographies and autobiographies of great men, we come to know as to how the great men utilized their leisure properly.
Leisure in Modern Life: The modern life is full of rush and business. People have little or no leisure. It is pity that for some people a holiday or casual spare hours can best be spent in long sleep in the day or idle gossip. Such people have no definite plan or preparation to utilize their leisure. All of us agree that leisure gives relaxation and change. But this is not all. We can do many useful and interesting things without damaging the cause of relaxation. We should not allow the hours of leisure to pass fruitlessly and aimlessly.
Various Ways of Using Leisure:  There are various ways of utilizing leisure. Which way is superior to the other depends upon individual’s taste and nature. No particular way can be prescribed for all. Some persons are light-minded, while others are serious by nature. Some like indulgence in frolics, while others require academic pursuits. Some like manual labour while others like intellectual exercise. Some are fond of outdoor life while others prefer to sit on chair and just play cards, chess or other indoor games. One thing in this connection is to be noted and remembered. Our way of using leisure should be constructive as far as possible. The man who passes his leisure in reading good books is indefinitely superior to the man who indulges in drinking liquor to pass his unoccupied hours. We should have a definite plan and scheme at hand to pass regular leisure. Every civilized man in the society has some hours in the morning and in the evening when he is not occupied. These hours should be utilized according to a pre-plan. Besides, we sometimes have to come unexpected leisure. For this casual leisure, we should also frame a programme to avoid lethargy and inaction.
Reading and Gardening: In my opinion, the best way of utilizing leisure are reading and gardening. Reading will benefit our intellect and gardening will give satisfaction to our physical urge. The importance of books cannot be overemphasized. Books give us pleasure, relation, intuition and elevation. They take us away from the filthy and nasty atmosphere of worries and cases of day-to-day life. It depends upon personal likes or dislikes whether we like novel or poetry or history or biography or autobiography for reading. For other forms of relaxation, we require the company. Gardening provides exercise for the body. Pandit Nehru, while in prison, passed his leisure in the morning in gardening. There are numerous advantages of gardening.
Conclusion: Happiness and enjoyment are two different things. We can have sources of enjoyment but may not be happy. To be happy in life, we should make a compromise between our hobby and leisure.