Better Time Alone

Make time alone something you look forward to

Being alone doesn’t have to mean being lonely, bored, or left out. In Better Time Alone, Brenna S. Mercer offers a warm, practical guide to enjoying your own company and making independent time more meaningful—without giving up the relationships that matter to you.

Whether you live alone, work remotely, are newly single, entering retirement, adjusting to an empty nest, or simply want more from your free time, you’ll find flexible ways to discover what you genuinely enjoy. Explore creative hobbies, reading, cooking, gardening, learning, and small personal projects. Build confidence in outings to cafés, museums, bookstores, parks, and local attractions. Create simple rituals for mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and changing seasons.

Along the way, you’ll learn to recognize the difference between restorative solitude and unwanted isolation, quiet digital distractions, ease self-consciousness, and make room for personal time without guilt or pressure to be productive. Practical exercises, reflection prompts, and adaptable activity ideas help you experiment at your own pace and within your budget.

You don’t need to become a different person or fill every hour. Start with curiosity, find the experiences that feel like yours, and create a personal collection of interests and rituals you’ll look forward to—while keeping meaningful connection in your life.