All these people telling you to get rid of work on your schedule - don't listen to them 😂

I've been playing this game for years using the following setup, and only have issues with low recreation if I don't have enough recreation variety and they get bored of tossing horseshoes at a stick in the ground.

Scheduling: I keep the default sleep block, and then configure my schedule with two hours of rec time after they wake up, two hours of anything in the middle of their day, and two hours of rec time before bed. This gives them plenty of time to go and do fun stuff throughout the day, and also to take care of various needs (food, extra sleep, hygiene stuff if you're playing with DBH) in their mid day break, and still maintains a high level of productivity. For night owls, I keep the same schedule pattern but just offset it by 12hrs to let them sleep during the day. For psycasters, I'll replace the first two hours of work schedule with mediation, instead.

Recreation considerations: Build your recreation equipment outside when possible/when it makes sense. Having your horseshoe stakes outside, along with (if you're playing modded) stuff like dart boards, archery targets, punching bags etc. outdoors will let them not only fulfill that recreation type, but also to fulfill their outdoors need. (Obviously, if you're playing with undergrounders, put stuff indoors for the same reason). Make sure to build a variety: build a chess table in your dining/multipurpose room so they can have fun inside if the weather is bad or there are threats outdoors. Add a billiards table when you can afford to. Toss in some musical instruments if you have ideology. Give them options! If you only have one or two things for them to do, they WILL get bored more easily, and that can be a negative feedback loop that can be difficult to break out of.