The importance of you time

The majority of people spend most of their time within the work place, spending up to 10 hours at work and on the commute. They should also spend 8 hours of their time asleep to help their body to heal and restore. That equates to 18 hours of a 24 hour day. So that leaves 6 hours for most to do their daily tasks and recreation.

Is 6 hours really enough for anyone to have me time? Typically I can think of several daily tasks that will take up a huge chunk of that time, an hour of meal cooking / preparation / making the next day’s lunch, a half hour bath and getting ready for bed, an hour of washing up / tidying / laundry. So when do we fit in the time to spend with our loved ones, the time to spend with ourselves, be it a good book, a movie, a computer game?
Some people may find that the jobs they do alternates so on a Monday they may get all their housekeeping done, on Tuesday they may spend time with friends and so on. Is this really practical though, as you may find that your home / social / private lives slip for a week at a time.
Thinking about the options available are the first steps that should be taken if your work / life balance doesn’t seem to match. Consider what action you need to do, perhaps you could find a way to speed up your commute such as a different mode of transport, perhaps you could relocate closer to your home, both of which will cost money. Another alternative is to allow yourself some more time every day by reducing your work hours, it does not have to be a huge reduction; it could be around 5/10 hours a week, a 4 day week. Considering this may mean that you have slightly less money in your pocket at the end of the week, but when you consider other costs that you may incur, such as food deliveries, take outs or childcare you may find that everything evens out in the end.

There is no time like you time, however you choose to go about gaining it, it is essential that you find some, remember who you are, find who you are and find yourself some you time.