How Remote Working Gives You More Time for Hobbies

There is a version of remote working that looks like this: you roll out of bed, open the laptop, work in your pyjamas until 6pm, and wonder where the day went.

And then there is the version that actually happens for a lot of people once they figure it out. No commute. Flexible hours. Lunch breaks that last more than eleven minutes. Suddenly there is time in the day that did not exist before.

For millions of people across the UK, remote working has not just changed where they work. It has changed what they do with the rest of their lives.

The Time Remote Working Actually Gives You Back

The maths is worth spelling out. The average UK commuter spends around 59 minutes a day travelling to and from work, according to the ONS. For five day a week commuters, that is nearly five hours a week. Over a working year, it adds up to roughly nine full days sat on a train, in a car, or standing on a platform.

Remote and hybrid workers get a meaningful chunk of that back. A 2023 study published in Nature found that workers who eliminated their commute used around 40% of the saved time on leisure and personal activities, including exercise, hobbies and socialising.

That is not nothing. That is a real, measurable shift in how people spend their lives.

Add to that the flexibility that comes with remote working, the ability to take a proper lunch break, to start earlier and finish earlier, to structure your day around your energy rather than a train timetable, and the picture becomes even clearer. Remote working, done well, creates genuine pockets of time that did not exist before.

The question is what people are doing with them.

What Remote Workers Are Actually Spending Time On

Research from Tracking Happiness found that remote workers report higher levels of life satisfaction on average, with exercise and hobbies cited among the biggest contributing factors. A Buffer State of Remote Work survey found that remote workers consistently rate work-life balance as one of the biggest benefits of their setup, ahead of flexibility and no commute.

Here is where a lot of that reclaimed time appears to be going.

Sports and Physical Activity

The link between remote working and increased physical activity is well documented at this point. When you are not spending an hour on a commute, the barrier to getting out for a run, hitting the gym at lunchtime, or joining a local sports club drops significantly.

UK Active data suggests that gym membership has grown steadily in the post-pandemic years, with a notable uptick in midweek daytime usage, something that would have been almost impossible for office workers previously.

Team sports in particular have seen a resurgence. Five-a-side football leagues, tennis clubs, running groups and racket sports have all reported increased participation, with many players citing flexible working as the reason they were finally able to commit to a regular slot.

Padel is one of the sports that has genuinely exploded in this period. It is fast, sociable and easy to pick up, which makes it a natural fit for people who want something competitive but accessible. The UK now has hundreds of padel courts, with new venues opening regularly. If you are curious about getting started, Live for Padel covers everything from beginner guides to court finders and equipment reviews.

Cycling has seen similar growth. Commuter bikes gathering dust have been swapped for proper road or gravel setups, with remote workers using the flexibility of their schedule to get longer rides in during the week rather than cramming everything into a Saturday.

Creative Hobbies

Time pressure is one of the biggest killers of creative pursuits. When you are exhausted from a long commute and a full day in an office, picking up a guitar or sitting down to write feels like a stretch.

Remote workers consistently report more time and energy for creative hobbies. Photography, music, writing, pottery, painting and cooking have all seen increased engagement since hybrid and remote working became mainstream.

The pandemic initially drove a lot of people toward creative hobbies out of necessity. What is interesting is how many of those habits stuck. The flexibility of remote working means the guitar does not just sit in the corner gathering dust. There is actually time to practise.

Outdoor Activities

One of the less obvious benefits of remote working is proximity to the outdoors during daylight hours. Office workers often leave the house before it is fully light and return after sunset, particularly in winter. Remote workers, by contrast, can structure their day to get outside at the best part of it.

Walking has seen a significant increase among remote workers, with many building a lunchtime walk into their routine in a way that simply was not possible before. Dog ownership also increased substantially during the remote working boom, and that alone accounts for a huge amount of additional daily outdoor time.

Hiking, wild swimming, trail running and even birdwatching have all reported increased participation from people who attribute their ability to pursue them to flexible working arrangements

Social Hobbies and Community

Remote working can be isolating if you let it be, which is one of the reasons a lot of people actively seek out social hobbies to compensate. Sports clubs, hobby groups, book clubs and volunteer organisations have all seen increased participation from remote workers who are consciously building the social contact that an office environment once provided automatically.

This is part of why coffee shops remain such a fixture of the remote working day. It is not just about the coffee or the WiFi. It is about being around other people. The same instinct that drives someone to work from a cafe drives them toward team sports, group fitness classes and community activities on their days off.

What This Means for Employers

The hobby question is not just a lifestyle curiosity. There is a growing body of evidence that employees who have adequate time for hobbies, exercise and personal pursuits are more productive, less likely to burn out, and less likely to leave.

CIPD research has found that over 1.1 million UK workers have left jobs specifically because of a lack of flexibility. Part of what people are protecting when they protect their flexible working arrangements is the life they have built around them. The gym class they can now make on a Tuesday lunchtime. The padel club they joined because they finally had a free weekday evening. The creative hobby they picked back up after a decade of being too tired.

Employers who understand this tend to hold onto people better than those who treat flexibility as a perk to be withdrawn.

The Bigger Picture

Remote working did not just move the office to the kitchen table. For a lot of people it fundamentally restructured their day, and with it, their relationship with their own time.

The hobbies that remote workers pick up are not frivolous. They are the thing that makes the whole arrangement sustainable. Exercise improves focus. Creative pursuits reduce stress. Social activities combat isolation. All of which makes remote workers, on balance, better at their jobs as well as happier outside of them.

If you are still figuring out how to use the time you have got back, start simple. A lunchtime walk. A sport you have always meant to try. A creative thing you abandoned ten years ago. The time is there. The question is whether you are protecting it.

FAQ

Do remote workers have more time for hobbies?

On average, yes. A 2023 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that remote working saved workers an average of 72 minutes a day, with 34% of that saved time going toward leisure activities including exercise and personal hobbies.

What hobbies are popular with remote workers?

Sport and fitness are consistently among the most common, particularly activities that can be scheduled flexibly during the working week such as gym sessions, racket sports, cycling and running. Creative hobbies including music, photography and cooking are also widely reported, as are outdoor activities like walking, hiking and wild swimming.

Is remote working good for your health?

The evidence suggests it can be, particularly when the saved commute time is redirected toward physical activity and rest. Remote workers report higher average life satisfaction scores, with exercise and work-life balance cited as key factors.

Why do remote workers join more clubs and sports teams?

The flexibility of remote working removes many of the practical barriers to committing to regular activities. A Tuesday evening padel session or a Wednesday lunchtime run club becomes realistic when you are not factoring in a long commute on either side. Many remote workers also consciously seek out social activities to replace the incidental social contact of an office environment.