The average American has less than half an hour of free time per week

The average American has less than half an hour of free time per weekThe average American has less than half an hour of free time per weekAccording to a survey conducted on 2,000 individuals by Onepoll on behalf of HR Block, 59% of Americans find it extremely difficult to balance work and their personal schedules.In fact, the average participant claimed to be so busy they only get about 26 minutes of free time a week. This leads to one and five US workers disregarding their non-professional objectives.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreWhen it comes to balancing the respondents of the survey disclosed that they are currently putting off 14 things on their to-do lists. More grimly, roughly one and four bemoaned being too preoccupied with work to make regular doctor appointments and about half of those that file their own taxes outed their hectic schedule as the reason they wont this year.The greater majority of the individuals surveyed admitted to ignoring more intimate and less crucial everyday tasks. The most popular life administrative tasks that are collectively being put off by Americans are as followsCleaning 47.86%Household maintenance/repairs 39.55%Laundry 38.32%Shopping 32.72%Going to the gym 31.67%Making appointments (doctor, etc.) 27.03%Cook 25.98%Car maintenance 25.63%Going to the bank 22.92%Paying bills 18.20%Ladders has reported on the pervasive obsession with overwork thats plaguing America on several occasions, in addition to the fiscal and productivity benefits of enjoying time off within in reason.Psychology.com reports that of the meager 45% of Americans that actually utilize their paid vacation days, 41% of them spend a good chunk of that time checking into work while they are away.As Joe Robison of Work to Live states Humans are energy machines. We expend energy over the course of the workday and work year in our body and brains (which use up 20% of the bodys calories), and then we have to replace it, or fatigue sets in, stress and exhaustion build, and productivity plummets.This policy of self-care can be enacted in the immediate even if you arent currently eligible for a paid extended retreat. Even the simple act of viewing your weekend like a mini vacation has been shown to boosts mood and productivity immensely.One important task that many Americans also feel they dont have enough time for is doing their taxes. Over 50% of respondents answered yes to the following question I feel like I dont have time to do my taxes this year compared to 33% of people who disagreed.People were then asked about what leisure items or treats they intend on buying with any tax refund money. Some of the more interesting responses includedMotorcycle tiresPlayStation 4Trip to casinoNiagara Falls tripA partyLawnmowerFreedom from credit card companiesPizzaScooterScuba gearCheck out the infographic below for more findings from the survey.Y ou might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people