Much has been written about work/life balance. Workaholics believe that balance is impossible. Others have opted out of the rat race entirely to a life of total leisure. For maybe the first time there is an indication of how much discretionary time is optimum.
Source: The Atlantic, February 21, 2019. Link. The paper, which analyzed data covering about 35,000 Americans, found that employed people’s ratings of their satisfaction with life peaked when they had in the neighborhood of two and a half hours of free time a day. For people who didn’t work, the optimal amount was four hours and 45 minutes.
INSIGHTS: There is no doubt that overscheduling causes stress. Discretionary time is required. But the real key to happiness may be how well you disconnect from your busy life during discretionary time. An hour focused solely on your family may be more valuable the four hours with your family while thinking about your business.