Because of my 12 hour shifts (plus one stupid 8/pay period), I figure I have to show up 42% of the year (if I only work half the holidays, take 4 sick days, and split my leave up between 12s and 8s to get 20 full days off). (ETA: this also assumes I don't work any OT. But, there is some really gravy OT and right now I'm just not turning that down.)
So, working full time, I still get 58% of my days for myself (travel, hang at home, do errands, whatever). Every 10 weeks, that time can come as one full week off (for 8 hours of leave) and/or 16 days off (for 16 hours of leave). If there is a specific time that I could use a week off that does not fall into those specific weeks, I can see if one of my coworkers will trade me a pay period or two.
Because of my job (think "fireman"-- I'm not a fireman, but I'm there to cover emergencies with some daily duties that don't take long, along with some other random work here and there), I also have a lot of downtime at work. Downtime where I can do some hobbies (one of my jobs involves sitting in a shack waiting to hit a button every now and then, so I often bring my knitting with me) as long as I can drop said hobby and jump into the fire (an emergency, or "check this when you get a moment" thing where you have to physically check something out).
And, since I get paid for what I can do in that emergency (something I have the specific knowledge required to handle), not for what I actually do during my shift (outside of mandatory rounds and documentation), I get paid pretty well.
So, my golden handcuffs are currently quite comfortable. They might feel tight every now and then, and there might come a time when I feel like I just have to cut them off because I can't do it anymore, but for now, they're just kind of pretty and not a burden. I'm setting myself up to leave early as I want, but for now I am also ok with just wearing them until they magically unlock with all the benefits at age 56 and 364 days.
If I had to spend this time in a cubicle (or even an office-- I am not made for desk/office work!), with 8 hour shifts, I'd be gnawing and clawing my way out, chewing off a hand if I needed to. So, for me, a lot depends on the job, shift, and work itself.