Tomorrow is a leap day which only comes around every four years. It's also happens to fall on Friday this year.  It's the perfect opportunity to take a step back and think about how spending more free time could improve your career position. If you're thinking "What free time?", this post is for you. Working Mother Magazine has a great article on this topic, but anyone can gain insight from it. 

Just because technology gives us the ability to be connected to our jobs 24-7, doesn't mean that we should be or that it is even in our best interests to do so. You may think that you need to be constantly busy in order to get ahead, however, studies are finding the opposite to be true. When you deal with constant interruptions such as emails or instant messages, your productivity actually declines. Giving yourself time and space away from the job allows you to re-group and come back with a fresh mindset to tackle problems. Surveys indicate that people who put a high priority on family and friends are less likely to report feeling overworked. They are more positive about their company, more productive and more willing to stay with the company.

Here are five ways to create that time and space:

1. Take the weekend off
2. Eliminate meetings on Fridays. Use that time to catch up and plan for the upcoming week
3. Pick up the phone and call someone instead of sending multiple emails
4. Don't send messages to people who are on vacation - and hope that they will return the favor
5. Keep track of the hours you work. If you find that you've spent several consecutive 50+ hour weeks, it's time for a day off

Price waterhouse Cooper's employee handbook reminds their employees that they can't be in two places at once. You're either working or you're on vacation.