How we spend our time says a lot about who we are. If we spend most of our leisure time outdoors, we have a different take on the world than someone who spends it in front of a screen. According to the American Time Use survey 2008, the average American adult male spends two hours and forty-five minutes in front of the television while the average American adult female spends two hours and thirty minutes doing the same. That's a great deal of ‘free time' spent locked up in a room.
If you feel you don't have enough time in the day, look at how you spend the time you do have. You might find you can liberate a few minutes or even hours by rearranging how you dedicate your non-work time. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which conducts the annual American Time Use survey, asks respondents to keep a time diary to record how they spend a full twenty-four hours. Consider timing all your activities throughout the day to see where the time goes. Exactly how much time did you spend working, commuting, eating or socializing?
On an informal basis I decided to evaluate how much screen time I spent during the work week. I thought perhaps I spend a couple of hours in front of my computer and television each day. As a PR consultant, I am sometimes glued to my monitor as I work on various campaigns. Other days I barely check it at all. To my chagrin I realized I spend an average of four hours of screen time each week day. Granted it is sporadic as I get up to help my kids with their homework, cook a meal or clean the house. But all told I am online a lot more than I would have myself believe.
It was a shocking revelation for me to realize how much time I spend engaging in our 24/7 world. Electronics rule our lives. Whether you are in your car, tapping your destination into your navigation system, or checking email via your hand-held while waiting in the check-out line, it seems our hyper-plugged in world has enslaved us. The online community is as enticing as a siren, drawing you closer to its virtuality while sucking your time like an Anne Rice vampire.
To determine whether I was using my tools or my tools were using me, I decided to test myself. Could I go for a walk without my cell phone mid-week? It seemed too much to bear (just in case that major media outlet decided to interview my client) so I decided to start with my emails instead. I waited until the early afternoon to check them. To my surprise the sky did not fall, my reputation remained in tact, and I managed to get the same amount done in less time.
How we spend our time does indeed reveal what is truly important to us. I've decided to spend more of my time outdoors, taking nature walks and enjoying some unplugged time. I might bring my cell phone, just in case I get lost in the woods (and the Wall Street Journal calls), but I already feel more liberated knowing I'm in charge of the tools that can serve us well if we remain the master of them instead of them mastering us.
