We give such a substantial portion of ourselves to our careers, it leaves the other areas of our lives at risk. After giving so much of ourselves throughout the day, it is tempting to fall into the belief that we have nothing left to give of ourselves. Depending on the type of work, a person may feel mentally, physically, or even emotionally exhausted.

This is why it takes a hard look at time spent each day to make sure it is a valuable use of it. If you need further help, make a schedule for an entire twenty-four-hour period. Pencil in all activities from sleep, snoozing the alarm clock, getting ready, eating, working, driving, cooking, etc. This will clearly show you where your time is being spent, similar to where a bank statement shows where your money is spent.

Don’t think eight hours for work and eight hours for sleep is a whole day because although the last eight hours disappears quickly, it’s still there. It does require diligence to prioritize it to meet your needs and the discipline to see things through. As mentioned, when you tally up the time, it will show you have more than you think. Television and the internet can be the two biggest consumers of our free time. Learning to effectively manage their use will allow more time for the necessary priorities in life.

Remember, you cannot create free time, but you can reallocate the time you have for better purposes.