If you make a detailed record of a typical workday, you may be surprised to discover that a significant amount of the day is taken up by down time. Commuting to and from work, waiting for meetings to begin, and even small gaps between appointments can cumulatively add up to a significant amount of time that you may be underutilizing. Using these short intervals of time to work toward your goals will help you to make progress during even your busiest days, and it also helps to reinforce to yourself where your true priorities lie. The progress may be small: You might cross a few items off of your to-do list, or make a few follow-up calls, but it all adds up.

In some workplaces, the workday can often extend beyond contracted hours into social hours, happy hours, and office events that stretch late into the evenings. The line between networking and socializing can get blurry, and it can be hard to turn down opportunities to forge relationships with colleagues. But sticking to a work schedule that leaves time for your own personal pursuits is essential. In order to find the time to pursue your true passion, you’ll need to claim your personal time whenever possible, and this includes the few precious morning and evening hours on workdays. When it comes to social obligations at work, make an appearance, and then make yourself scarce!

Lunch hour is a magic hour—it’s one free hour each day that truly belongs to you, no compromises. That’s five hours per week you could be spending in pursuit of your true ambitions. This unrestricted time is the perfect opportunity to move a little time from your working-for-the-company column to the working-for-yourself column. If your workplace quiets down mid-day, bring your lunch with you to maximize your time and use your workspace as your home away from home. If that’s not possible, find a quiet space nearby, make yourself a cup of 1850, and get to work!

It goes without saying that accessing the Internet while in pursuit of almost any endeavor increases productivity, enables innovation, and provides instant access to seemingly infinite resources. But there comes a point when being online can actually impede your productivity. With a few keystrokes you can find yourself mindlessly scrolling through social media, watching an endless stream of viral videos, or falling prey to click-bait headlines that pull your focus. Disconnecting from the Internet for certain tasks—brainstorming sessions, drafting correspondence, editing and proofreading—will ensure that you make the most of your limited time.

Plopping down on the couch after a long day on the job is a great American pastime, and far be it from me to deny anyone their escapist entertainment in the new Golden Age of Television. But you do need to watch the clock—according to a recent report, U.S. adults spend an average of four hours and 46 minutes per day watching TV. That is a lot of time that could be better spent pursuing your personal goals. Give yourself one hour in front of the television each evening—set a timer—and once the hour is up, get back to work!

If you are fortunate enough to get significant vacation time at your day job, you can make huge progress toward your true passion by reserving some of that time for your side-hustle. While cobbling together a few hours a day using the tips above will help you make incremental progress, there’s nothing like spending a full week in pursuit of your passion to remind you why you work so hard in the first place. Treat your staycation week like a workweek — eventually, your passion project might not even feel like work — and you’ll return to your “real” job rested and refreshed with a new sense of purpose.

This article is sponsored by 1850™ Brand Coffee.