In his book Breathing Space, Jeff Davidson points out the following: During a work life of forty-eight years (between ages twenty-two and seventy), any activity that you engage in for an average of thirty minutes each day consumes one complete year of your life.
OK, that's just basic math - but it sure gave me pause.
Some ways many of us spend time:
Exclusive Contents Internet Marketing Blog writes that Clarissa Rodriguez, a productivity architect, was quoted in the Boston Herald's Women's Business section in June 2006 about time spent handling e-mail. She said, "On average, employees spend two hours per day reading and responding to unproductive, low importance messages. That’s a hefty 12 weeks a year. What would you and your employees each do with an extra 480 hours this year? Next year?"
And then there's the time we spend watching TV.
Related Post: Doing What I Should Be Doing
[photo by tanakawho]
AAAIIIIIEEEEEE!!!
ReplyDeleteOkay, deep breath, deep breath.
Just thinking about all the time spent on unproductive and totally insignificant things can be very stressful. Yet another reason to get organized so that no time is wasted hunting for lost stuff!
I totally agree re: TV. I once saw a big old set outside a house, and spray-painted on its screen was Obey Me! We have cable phone and internet, but no TV. Feels *so* good not paying for garbage, and not having the constant temptation to "just see what's on."
ReplyDeleteMatt: I'm a "don't own a TV" person myself - not because I think it's all garbage (although a lot of it surely is), but because it's just not how I choose to spend my time. I've written more about TV here.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link:) Yes the fact that a meager 30-minutes a day can add up to such substantial time is eye opening indeed.
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