Not Enough Hours in the Day?

“Americans overestimate how many hours they work in a typical week by about 5 to 10 percent, according to a Labor Department study, with the biggest exaggerators being people who work longer weeks.”
Catherine Rampell

I have met many men who have damaged their lives, their health, and their families through unhealthy values that lead to poor utilization of available time. Most of these men are not workaholics. Workaholics are really a pretty rare breed. You will know one when you meet him. He will work ridiculous hours and he will constantly boast, even to total strangers, as to the extent of his sacrifices and suffering.

In an article entitled “Are You as Busy as You Think,” Laura Vanderkam explores a phenomena that is pandemic in this area. People are overcommitted, just too busy. The author claimed she was one of those people who worked over 60 hours a week on less than 6 hours of sleep a night. Then she began to look deeply into her problems. Examining her own situation she concluded that boasting about her own busyness in this competitive society made her feel important.

The author began to actually track how she used her time. After adding up her totals, she concluded that much of what we do is a mindless waste of time. She observes, “Checking Facebook five times a day at six minutes a pop adds up to two-and-a-half hours in a workweek -- curiously, the exact amount of time the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends we exercise.

Now the author works 45 hours a week and sleeps close to eight hours a night. But she is not getting any less done. She recommends three steps to a more balanced life.

1) Be honest about what you are actually doing with your time. Keep a detailed log book for a week. You might discover your one of those people who has a major disconnect between their estimated and actual workweeks.
2) Ask yourself what you want to do with your time. She comments, “Claiming to be busy relieves us of the burden of choice.” Even if you really work 45 hours a week, commute 10 hours a week, and sleep 8 hours a night, that leaves 57 hours a week to play with your children, watch a couple of football games (or Dancing with the Stars), go to church, exercise, or talking with your friends.
3) “Change your language.” She recommends saying, “It’s not a priority,” Instead of, “I don’t have time.” She claims this is a good reality check. If you try this on tasks that don’t matter, the author uses the example of ironing sheets, it will make you feel free and empowered. If you say you don’t have time to visit your cardiologist, hopefully you will question your priorities.

Obviously this has worked for the author. She discovered enough free time to write two books on the subject. 168 Hours is already in print. Her second book, All The Money In The World: What the Happiest People Know About Getting And Spending will soon be in print.