Eight hours of sleep, eight hours of work, and eight hours of play, we are all too familiar with this routine … or are we?!? The 40-hour work week has been around since the industrial revolution— which was actually an initiative to reduce the amount of working hours. Today, many more of us are working more than 40 hours at the expense of our sleep and/or play time. Here’s some tips on how you can make the most of your time and perhaps even lessen your work week.

Keep Work at Work: Over-worked and over-stressed, we as Americans are bringing more work home. This results in longer, more stress-inducing work days. When your life revolves around work, this
will result in less sleep and a more tense work environment.

Strategic Breaking: Everyone has a personal limit of sitting down and staring at a computer screen. Taking short five- to seven-minute breaks every few hours have been said to increase productivity. Standing up and walking up and down the stairs will get the blood flowing and rejuvenate your mood, even a quick walk to the break room to make a cup of coffee or tea will leave you mentally prepared to continue on your day.

Eliminating Distractions: In the world we live in, we can do virtually anything with the click of our mouse. This is as bad as it is good. Social media is a big part of
our personal lives and shouldn’t be translated into what we do at work. Facebook and Twitter can wait!!

Do the Worst First: Putting off unpleasant or even boring or routine tasks hurt us in the long run. You can’t not think about them so they clutter your mind. Push through the tough work first and grind your way down to the simpler or more enjoyable tasks. You will feel more accomplished, more energized and less stressed! We all only get 24 hours a day. We need to use them wisely. Yes, time flies … but you are the pilot! Stay on course.