3 hrs a day, 5 days a week

I've been wanting to write this article for quite some time, but thanks to the serious implications of the above-mentioned title's literal presence in my life I've been unable to do so. A few years back we would often come across the term "9 to 5." Times have changed. '9 to 5' is passe. Now, work timings don't stop short of anything less than 10 hrs. Barring the travel time, which incidentally happens to be a big factor in leaving us with as little free time as possible, we've got very little to look forward to after our rush hour escapades. Long work hours leave most of us returning late in the night. They say an 8-hour average sleep is a must. Someone tell them even a 6-hour-long sleep is considered bliss amongst the working class. Returning late from work leaves us with little to do in those 3 hours before we start preparing for a "supposed" hard-earned sleep after a hard day's work. Little do we realize how we're losing out on our lives in this ongoing effort to earn our bread. Come Saturday and it's a relief for Sunday is just a day away and Saturday itself is more or less a half day, if you are one of the unfortunate ones to be working Saturdays. But do we end up doing anything constructive/creative on any given day of the week? For a few, rest is the best form of recreation on a holiday. And then there are others who prefer spending time partying or on the movies. But when would we find time to realize what we are on the lookout for in our lives, because the above-mentioned is all a part of momentary happiness. On weekdays after work most of us would retire in the comfort of our couches idling away watching TV and hogging on the tub of pop-corn. But that's just ephemeral satisfaction. The bigger picture says that spending time by "socialising" on online community sites, idling away watching sit coms, or calling up people and complaining hypocritically about how unsatisfactory the day at work had been, are mere fillers to keep oneself satiated. Surely each of us has a right to spend his free time the way he wants to, but he should always have at the back of his mind that each day thus spent is a day lost out of his life. I can't help but mention those lines-"trying to make ends meet; you're a slave to money, then you die." 3 hours a day, 5 days a week; running out of time; help yourselves.