We just celebrated yet another special day. No, it was not Presidents' Day. Rather, Work Your Proper Hours Day was February 24, 2017, a Friday this year. It is the day when the average person who does unpaid overtime finishes the unpaid days they do every year, and starts earning for themselves.The day recognizes the millions of people at work who regularly do unpaid overtime, giving their employers billions of dollars of free work. If you are one of those people, consider how well or poorly you are balancing your life and what effect this is having on your mindset. Then, consider four tips below to help you make the most of your own time:

1. Take a proper lunch break. Read something interesting, get some fresh air and take a walk. You’ll be surprised how much more refreshed you will feel when you go back to work.

2. Engage in stress reduction. Take several short breaks during the day to close your eyes, breathe deeply and say “relax” to yourself when you exhale as you imagine a pleasant scene. Overwork and stress are detrimental to your mental and physical health. I and my co-author Janice B. Longobardi, RN, have written extensively about this in our newly published book "I Can't Take it Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn't Manage You", available at Amazon books. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056

3. Leave work on time and enjoy your evening. Enjoy your relationships whether with a significant other or with your children. They will all appreciate it and you will feel better and more relaxed when you retire for the night.

4. Give yourself mental permission to enjoy your own time. You can affirm to yourself that “I work best when I care for myself”. If you repeat it several times, before long you will get in the habit of working your proper hours. AND YOU WILL ENJOY YOUR LIFE MORE.

Implement the above suggestions and you will regain more charge of your time and life. As always, remember that when you Change Your Thoughts You Change Your Results.

Dr. Paul Longobardi

For more information on these and related topics, please see my website at www.successandmindset.com