We all have 24 hours in a day and how the hours are managed by each individual is up to them. The thing about time is that it cannot be saved or accumulated in
comparison to other things like money. We can both save and borrow money, but we cannot do this with time. Once the time we have for the day has gone, that it is - we have to wait for another day to use the time that is available in it.
I read something interesting about the average hours we spend doing one thing or the other in the week:-
56 hours sleeping
50 hours at work (which includes the commute)
24 hours eating (you may add the time spent visiting the toilet to this)
As we have 168 hours in any given week, after subtracting the above, that leaves us with 38 hours and for each day of the week we have approximately 5 extra hours to spare.
What we do with the 5 hours could make a difference between living a productive or unproductive life. If we are able to analyse how we spend the 5 extra hours each
day; perhaps that would help us to manage our time better.
It is amazing how easy it is to discover where the hours have gone when we take an inventory of how our day was spent. If you do this for a week or two, you would probably be able determine what measures to take to make for positive adjustments.
I was speaking to a teenager the other day and she told me how she forgot to do her homework and had to do it on the bus in order not to get into trouble at school. I
then asked what she did when she got home and she said she watched a bit of TV, spoke to mates on the phone and browsed the internet. I then suggested that next time she has homework to do, she should do the homework first before switching on the TV. She would be surprised about how quickly her homework would be completed and then still have time for other things.
This example could be applied in the life of adults as well. Whilst we might be complaining about not having enough time to develop ourselves by reading books or
taking courses; we may not realise that those extra hours are there for us to use. Watching a 2 hour program on TV has already sucked into the 5 hours, you probably
have a few chores to do after that and oh there's the e-mails to check. And the list goes on and on.
Time as we all know, waits for no one - so let's invest it wisely.
Free to use image taken from Morguefile.com
I find myself wondering where the hours went almost every day. And then I lose much needed sleep trying to play catch up at night.
ReplyDeleteKifayat,
ReplyDeleteLovely to meet you on the blog challenge. I love your post on time.
It's so interesting to see that we all have the same amount of time each day but we use it in different ways.
I'm interested in productivity and how much I can actually achieved.
I've had to change the way I think about time and I can get so much done now. I don't waste as much time as I used to do.
Thank you for making me think about this again - an important topic.
I look forward to reading more of your posts.
Best wishes
Heather x
@Carrie: I know Carrie - sometimes I wish we had more hours in the day!
ReplyDelete@Heather:Hi Heather, thanks for stopping by and I also look forward to reading more from your blog.
Glad to have met you through the #blogboost challenge.
ReplyDeleteEveryday I find myself wondering where the day went. I am starting to think someone has hijacked my extra five hours I am supposed to have ;)
Hi Melissa, thanks for stopping by - the hours just go by sometimes don't they?
ReplyDeleteI so agree I wish we had more time in a week to get things done Time management is need most of the time.
ReplyDeletefound you via #blogboost challenge.
here is my second post
http://wp.me/pZxob-K3
Hey Jessica, nice to connect with you. Yes, time management will help save a lot of time. Will check out your site as well.
ReplyDeleteI came here by way of the blogboost challenge. Very good post. I don't have a TV anymore (since 2006), and it frees up so much time. Browsing the Internet, on the one hand, is something that eats time too - but on the other, it also fuels creativity. There have never been such easy means to express yourself (through photography, writing, filming etc.) AND share your work with a broad audience than nowadays. Also, it's a great resource to stay in touch with people who live abroad, or even on other continents. I can recommend the book Cognitive Surplus by Clay Shirky. He delivers an excellent analysis about the way the Internet has changed our understanding of media 'consumption' dramatically.
ReplyDeleteSo true how much easier it is to get the task done first and then "play" for a bit. I find it a challenge sometimes to make that choice but I do see the results when I do make it.
ReplyDeleteTime certainly does fly and it is really hard to account for. With three kids, homeschooling, and a business... I know the juggle all too well. Somewhere in that time though. I think it is so key to take just a few minutes for ourselves. Thanks for a great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Kifayat,
ReplyDeletenice to meet your through the blog challenge!
Your article is a er... timely reminder of the danger of TV! We can lose hours of our precious lives consuming junk TV - O know, I've done it! I'm pleased to be back on track, with a few well-chosen programs a week, and loads more time for reading ... and now blogging!
have fun!
Tracey
Hi Cybergabi, nice to meet you. Wow, you must be very disciplined not own a TV since 2006. Well done. I agree with you that browsing the internet can fuel creativity when used appropriately.
ReplyDeleteHi Michele, yes sometimes it can be a challenge but with practice one will be able to eventually get there. Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDelete@Danielle - Thanks - I know all work and no play will definately lead to some form of stress!
ReplyDelete@Tracey - Glad to hear you are back on track. We'll be cheering each other on!