I skate through my days trying to only do that which is absolutely necessary (which unfortunately happens to be a lot!) but there is so much more that really needs and should be done. Do I have to sacrifice all of my free time to do all that needs done? How do I become ambitious enough to do everything???
Good question. I have had somewhat the same problem in the past. What I started doing was making lists of what needed to be done & always made sure that I put free time on the list as well. You need to find a balance & make the most of the free time that you have available.
Here's an example: I listed all of the cleaning chores I needed to accomplish in a month & then worked out how often each needed to be done. When I was finished, I realized that there were really only one or two things each day, so long as I kept to my schedule. I then mapped out time that I could use as free time (which, for me, means without family at home) & worked it into the schedule. When I hit those times, I just make sure that I do exactly what I want to do & nothing more.
The funny thing is that making yourself adhere to a schedule of sorts for only a few weeks has some amazing effects...I'm now the type of person who will stop to make sure that there is nothing else that needs to be done before I take my "me" time. Tell you one thing though, if this house is spotless, dinner is cooked & the laundry is done, you'd best consider how dear your life is to you if you ask me to do something else once I've decided to take my hour or two of solitude!
In the end, you can train yourself to be more productive & to balance free time against what needs to be done. As for real ambition, you might need to consider what goals you have & work toward them slowly. The main trick is accomplishment; if you set goals for yourself, even small ones, & you accomplish them, you will start to make it a habit...accomplishment breeds more accomplishment &, in many ways, ambition & accomplishment are one in the same...