When you have free time, what do you do with it?

Too many people let it get away without getting any value from it. But you can use free time to gain an advantage.

There are three ways to consider how you use free time; organizationally, at-work, and personally.

With organizational free time, you can take care of some of the small items you always wish you had time for. You can train employees or work on planning. Free time is a perfect time to work on maintenance items that are harder to do when you are busy; paint buildings inside and out, change lightbulbs and other smaller items you may have let slide.

With your own free time at work, you can clean up your area for starters. But now is also the time to take control of your own career development. What happens next is up to you.

With your personal free time, think about what you can do in the short term to get a long term payoff. Learn a new skill like playing the guitar or speaking a foreign language. Learn something new. Find an online course. Listen to podcasts. If you listen to all of the back episodes of this podcast you will practically have a master's degree in leadership, management, and customer service. There is no upside to sitting on the couch. But also take time to step away from projects and learning. Spend time with your family. You can build memories now that will last a lifetime.