Though leisure time itself may be for rest and relaxation, the same skillful planning and prioritizing you use at work can help you to get more enjoyment out of your free time.

1. Guard your free time by learning to say no to requests that aren’t a priority for you.

2. Keep a list of things you’d like to do in your free time. When that time arrives, consult your list, pick an activity and do it.

3. Turn off the TV one day a week and fill that time creatively.

4. Write leisure activities into your weekly schedule just like other appointments. Keep the appointment.

5. Leave your work worries at the office. Write work projects and deadlines on a piece of paper, leave them in your desk drawer and forget about them until you return to work.

6. Set aside one evening a week for a meeting with friends or coworkers after work, perhaps for a racquetball game, pizza or a potluck dinner.
7. Make transition time between work and what comes next. Play a special tape in the car and take a scenic or less-traveled route home.

8. When you get home, change into comfortable, fun clothes that make you feel good.

9. One or two evenings a week, make it a habit to set aside a special time for you before tending to the kids or other home responsibilities. Exercise, read, phone friend, watch the sunset, water your garden or do nothing at all. This is your time for yourself.

10. Choose leisure activities that balance out your work life. If you sit behind a desk all day, get out and do something physical after work.