My schedule doesn’t allow for a ton of downtime. Between working typically seven days a week, finishing up my degree (3 weeks left!), and trying to get a little bit of work done on my manuscript, there isn’t a ton of wiggle room in my schedule. It used to be that my free time was typically spent sleeping as I don’t usually get the best night’s sleep due to my sleep apnea. However, since moving a month ago I have tried to make it a point to find something to do in my downtime to keep me either mentally or physically stimulated. The results have been good so far as I have felt healthier and overall more satisfied with my days.

I have a few main hobbies that I like to pursue in my downtime, such as painting my Warhammer 40,000 figurines, riding my bike, and reading. I have also always been a very avid gamer and that’s what the meat of this post is going to be about.

I have been playing Final Fantasy XIV since it first came out back in 2012. For those unfamiliar with it, FFXIV is a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game. You join with thousands of other players and complete quests and raid dungeons as you progress your character in a number of different “jobs” or classes. For the most part, when I join other players for PVE (player vs environment) or story quests my character’s job is Machinist: a class that uses firearms and gadgets to deal damage at range. Machinist is the only combat job that I currently have at the maximum level of 80.

There are also non-combat jobs in the game as well. Your gathering classes are known as Disciples of the Land and your crafting classes are known as Disciples of the Hand. I actually maxed out all of these before I maxed out Machinist as the crafting and gathering in FFXIV is honestly a ton of fun and very rewarding. But I also noticed that I was only really using these classes to make gil (the in game currency) and I had never taken advantage of these classes in a way that was tangible and visible. That changed about a week ago.

I have had a house in game for a few years now but never really did anything with it. It was really just kind of there and I only visited once every month to make sure the in game system didn’t demolish it as land in FFXIV is always in high demand. I decided that since my gathering and crafting classes were maxed that I should do something with my house. I spent a bit looking at different designs online and visiting different houses in the various housing areas to try to find ideas. In the end I decided that I wanted to turn my boring house into a tavern.

Long story short I spent my free time over the next week logging in and gathering resources and crafting furniture for my house. It was repetitive and a bit monotonous at times but every time I made a major milestone there was a palpable sense of accomplishment. I was spending a ton of time at my property and constantly adding new ideas and parts to the house. After about a week I had my tavern up and running with a living quarters and crafting workshop in the basement. It was the most gratifying time I have spent in FFXIV in a long time.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

In the grand scheme of FFXIV, I accomplished nothing of any import or worth in that week. I missed out on raids, let weekly timers expire which caused my character to miss out on special currencies, and didn’t get any leveling done on any of my other jobs. However, because I set myself this goal of transforming this unused plot of land into something not only unique but built almost entirely by my character’s hands, I found a new appreciation of the game. Now every time that I play I make it a point to log out at my house. While I’m there I look for little ways that I can add more or make it even more appealing and it is some of the most fun I’ve had in FFXIV in ages.

I think the reason for that fun is something applies to more than just gaming, but to all downtime hobbies. I always enjoy playing FFXIV, but I enjoy it more when I have a clear goal is what I have discovered. Realizing that, I applied this knowledge to all my downtime, essentially building a schedule of my downtime activities. Now when I sit down to read a book, its not just to read but to finish X amount of chapters or pages. When I am painting my Warhammer models, there are goals attached. I cannot emphasize how much more I find myself enjoying my downtime now that I have specific, achievable goals in mind during my downtime. In addition, that release of endorphines when completing a goal has had me in a better mood and feeling in better health in general.

Moral of the story today is to set goals, even for silly fun things that really aren’t important. It makes a world of difference.

PS – If you play FFXIV you can find my character Firo Cuinn on the Excalibur server! Feel free to say hi!