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How much free time do you usually have per day while working a full time job? Is it enough?
I am in the 11th grade and am trying to find what I love to do. #jobs #employment
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9 answers
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Doc’s Answer
Great question Shi, most people feel the need to be going all the time. If we are not working and putting our energy into something, we believe we are wasting time. We may feel taking time for ourselves is a waste and won’t accomplish anything. Relentlessly pushing ourselves may bring some measure of success, however going for long periods without time for ourselves may cost us in the end. Stress and the inability to just enjoy a little time-off have very real health and psychological effects. We could experience mental fatigue, insomnia, confusion, poor concentration, depression, anxiety, and increased irritability. Just like we need sleep, we need time off.
We sometimes minimalize our need for “me” time by thinking about how we’re denying attention to other things that are important to us, such as our family, our friends, our gym time, our book club, the lawn, or whatever else. We feel selfish taking the needed time out when there’s so much left to do. However, if you run ourselves into the ground we’re not going to be much help to anyone, and you won’t be able to be fully engaged in your activities anyway. Our health is vital, and if you think these obligations can’t succeed without you, think of what might happen if you become sick and have to set them aside for a longer amount of time. We need a little time to recharge our batteries.
Shi we all have the same 24-hours in a work-day, nobody has more. Assuming we spend 8-hours a day at work and get 8-hours of sleep, that would leave us 8-hours of free time. Be careful that you use your “me” time for leisurely activities and don’t push yourself to complete anything. Simply enjoy the time out. Indirectly, taking time for yourself may also improve your interpersonal and business relationships, making you a better partner, parent, or employee.
We sometimes minimalize our need for “me” time by thinking about how we’re denying attention to other things that are important to us, such as our family, our friends, our gym time, our book club, the lawn, or whatever else. We feel selfish taking the needed time out when there’s so much left to do. However, if you run ourselves into the ground we’re not going to be much help to anyone, and you won’t be able to be fully engaged in your activities anyway. Our health is vital, and if you think these obligations can’t succeed without you, think of what might happen if you become sick and have to set them aside for a longer amount of time. We need a little time to recharge our batteries.
Shi we all have the same 24-hours in a work-day, nobody has more. Assuming we spend 8-hours a day at work and get 8-hours of sleep, that would leave us 8-hours of free time. Be careful that you use your “me” time for leisurely activities and don’t push yourself to complete anything. Simply enjoy the time out. Indirectly, taking time for yourself may also improve your interpersonal and business relationships, making you a better partner, parent, or employee.
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Kim’s Answer
Free Time? What's That?
There are lots of variables here. This includes commuting time, if your job expects you to respond to texts and emails while "off-duty," family responsibilities (soccer dad?, band recitals, etc) hobbies you are committed to (gym membership?), how much sleep you need, social life, etc.
Let's say you work 8-5, with a short, half-hour commute. If you can jump out of bed, jump in the shower right away, grab breakfast before you leave. . . .maybe get up at 6-630. If you plan on hitting the gym before work, probably make that about 430-5am. Or, you can hit the gym after work.
Now, you get home. Do you really want to go DO something, or do you want to just unwind for a while first? What are your meal plans? It takes time to cook and eat. Do you need to walk the dog?
Add to all this, when do you plan on doing chores? Laundry, house cleaning, grocery shopping. If you save them for the weekend, it REALLY cuts into your weekend! It's nice for those days to be totally free.
So, with all that in mind, let's say you are single, no dog, go to the gym before work, not in school, and go to bed at 11 pm. That gives you five hours each evening, "free", plus your weekends. But, as you can see, taking on a job that expects you to be available after hours, getting a family, or going to school will start to whittle away at that. Hope this has helped!
There are lots of variables here. This includes commuting time, if your job expects you to respond to texts and emails while "off-duty," family responsibilities (soccer dad?, band recitals, etc) hobbies you are committed to (gym membership?), how much sleep you need, social life, etc.
Let's say you work 8-5, with a short, half-hour commute. If you can jump out of bed, jump in the shower right away, grab breakfast before you leave. . . .maybe get up at 6-630. If you plan on hitting the gym before work, probably make that about 430-5am. Or, you can hit the gym after work.
Now, you get home. Do you really want to go DO something, or do you want to just unwind for a while first? What are your meal plans? It takes time to cook and eat. Do you need to walk the dog?
Add to all this, when do you plan on doing chores? Laundry, house cleaning, grocery shopping. If you save them for the weekend, it REALLY cuts into your weekend! It's nice for those days to be totally free.
So, with all that in mind, let's say you are single, no dog, go to the gym before work, not in school, and go to bed at 11 pm. That gives you five hours each evening, "free", plus your weekends. But, as you can see, taking on a job that expects you to be available after hours, getting a family, or going to school will start to whittle away at that. Hope this has helped!
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Michael’s Answer
Time is a valuable thing! Time management is a tool that would help you with extracurricular activities. Depending on the schedule of work full time or part time is depending the hour left in the day after the work obligation. A good schedule can maximize the time someone has to complete activities that can be for starting a business or work on self improvement. Either way good time management skills can keep someone from being lazy or procrastinating task that need to be done.
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Collette’s Answer
Hi Shi, this is a very good question. It very much depends on the career path that you decide to take. For instance, there are 9am-5pm jobs with 2 days off as well as 10hrs shift jobs and 3 days off. For instance, in the healthcare industry doctors and nurses may work for 10hrs a day for 4 days a week. Additionally, there are some jobs too that states at least a 40hrs work week. Personally, I work for a demanding company that sometimes require me to work 40-60hrs a week, with 2 days off. I do this while being a fulltime student. What is important to note is proper time management. When you are ready to start a career you will experience tedious days, however, as long as you manage your time wisely you will be successful.
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Saniya’s Answer
Hello Shi. I would say a typical full time job means your working day starts at 9 am and ends at 5 pm with 2 days off for the weekend. I work a very demanding job for a high profile company, so I never finish work before 6. I would say my free time is from 6 o'clock until I go to bed. It is important to enjoy what you do, otherwise it could be really difficult to spend majority of your day at work. Now with the pandemic, a lot of companies have implemented flexible working - which means we can work from home and also choose the hours we are most productive. I would say combined with this, my free time is enough for me. However, if free time is really important for you, you should explore careers that have more flexibility.
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Miranda’s Answer
Hi Shi! I work a standard 9 to 5 job with 2 days off on the weekends. I've also been working from home full time since March 2020 when the pandemic hit. During that time my company has started to embrace a flexible work schedule. Now that going back into the office is starting to become a conversation, my company is still going to allow flexibility in when employees can work from home. This seems to be becoming the norm for a lot of companies across the US. This newfound flexibility is allowing folks to cut back on commute time and without a lot of the distractions that existed in the office work can get done faster and more efficiently. All of those factors free up much more time in the day to do what you enjoy and creates an even more healthy work-life balance. Hope this helps!
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Simeon’s Answer
It greatly depends on the nature of the work that you do. Forty to fifty hour weeks are supposed to be the norm, but can be many more hours per week if you are in a corporate setting. Several successful businesses expect their employees to work sixty to seventy hours per week and the most competitive places can often be 80 hours+. It's important to research the specific industries you're looking at for more detail as it is often too late to fight for a work-life balance once you end up at a company that expects you to have no work-life balance at all.
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Muhammad’s Answer
I think it depends what you are doing. the ultimate judgemental parameter is if you are happy with what you are doing and the way you are doing.
If you are an entrepreneur, for example, you are happy to dedicate some extra hours to your work. if you are working on an exciting project which is giving you a lot of new skill sets or a career progression opportunity, yo wont mind adding some extra hours to your work life.
Also consider doing things in smart way rather than hard way (for this you may need to learn some tools and techniques (you can do so online).
On the other hand try to keep little balance between personal and professional life as your well being contributes a lot in how you deliver in your professional life.
As a minimum, I believe you can aim around 10-12 hrs for your personal life.
If you are an entrepreneur, for example, you are happy to dedicate some extra hours to your work. if you are working on an exciting project which is giving you a lot of new skill sets or a career progression opportunity, yo wont mind adding some extra hours to your work life.
Also consider doing things in smart way rather than hard way (for this you may need to learn some tools and techniques (you can do so online).
On the other hand try to keep little balance between personal and professional life as your well being contributes a lot in how you deliver in your professional life.
As a minimum, I believe you can aim around 10-12 hrs for your personal life.
Updated
Mark’s Answer
Hi Shi - You are thinking about this the right way! It has been said that if you love what you do, it doesn't feel like work, and this is what everyone should strive for. Any work day whether it is a standard 8 hours or even extra effort many put in for 12 hours plus is only sustainable if you love what you do and are passionate about making a difference. As you start your career, emphasize what you are passionate about over the highest dollar opportunity. Your career will grow the fastest in a pathway you are passionate about. Best of luck!