Work doesn't really need to be on the schedule unless you're at the very start of a colony, on a raid/quest, or unpacking a caravan. If you don't need something done immediately it's usually better to schedule "anything" and just let pawns take care of their needs and work when they're satisfied.

Recreation time is a good opportinuty to have pawns interact and form relationships, so schedule compatible pawns to the same recreation slots. Likewise, schedule "rivals" in different slots to avoid unnecessary fights.
I find that having recreation before a block of sleep usually works out well, as long as you consider travel between their workplace and the recreation area. Some unlucky pawns can spend slightly longer finishing a task, then walk back to base during recreation time, only to get home just in time for bed and completely miss their recreation slots. You just have to keep an eye on that.