There's 168 hours in a week
so where are all of mine going??
In America, if you ask someone how their week was, you can almost always count on hearing the word ‘busy’ in their response. We take pride in full calendars and demanding schedules, like life is a contest of who can do the most.
I must confess: I am not busy. I do not have too much on my plate, it is well portioned.
In the past, I might’ve told you I had a lot going on or feel overwhelmed. It’s like I convinced myself to be stressed out because isn’t that the way life is supposed to be? I worked a few long weeks and suddenly I could use a month off. I’d like to officially leave the pity party now.
Recently, I saw a TikTok of a girl talking about how she manages working as a part time trainer in addition to a full time job. She started with the 168 hours we all have in a week, then proceeded to subtract her obligations to show how much time she had unaccounted for still. I was shocked at how much was left over for someone with a demanding job and demanding side hustle. If I find the video again I will add the link.
I felt compelled to do the same math on my own life and found the exercise so helpful:
168 hours in a week
56 sleeping (8 hours a night)
12 exercising (2 hours 6x a week)
10 cooking & cleaning
7 hygiene/self-care (30 minutes getting reading, 30 minutes getting un-ready every day)
40 working
10 freelance work
6 commuting
5 church
= 146 hours
168-146 = 22
22 “extra” hours each week for leisure, creative, or social activities. Over 3 hours a day.
And these were generous estimations of how I spend my time. Those 6 hours of commuting are by train where I could be getting freelance work done. I don’t spend 2 hours at the gym 6x every week, but I like to have the wiggle room and include my time walking there and back. And 10 hours of cooking and cleaning is very manageable when sharing the load with my husband who is a great cook himself.
It’s a bit eye-opening, isn’t it? Makes me wonder where all of those 22 hours are currently going ??? A lot of it is going towards television and scrolling, distraction in the form of entertainment, squandering away my most valuable and fleeting asset.
What would I rather fill those 22 hours with? Quality time with loved ones, taking leisurely walks along the harbor, resting intentionally, working on creative pursuits and acknowledging that those fill my cup rather than drain it.
I loved this post from Jordan Santos on the topic: twenty things i’d rather do than be on my phone
I know there are people who are truly busy. Who work far beyond 40-50 hours a week, and have family to care for on top of it all. I have so much respect for them. Today I am just calling myself out on my own BS. I’m not on the verge of burn-out. I am on the verge of boredom. I’m not that tired. I’m not that busy. I have a full and beautiful life waiting to be nurtured and enjoyed. Woe is me.
xx, elle
P.S. There’s so much more that could go into this topic: further acknowledgement of people who truly are busy, discussion about slow living vs hustle culture, how to learn to say no or yes more. And some disclaimers about how I could be totally out of touch- yes, let’s include that! I’m a Gen Z Dink (for now) idk what I’m talking about.
Hm this post makes me… annoyed. Not at you and not at the fact that we all need reminders to stop being on our goddamn phones so much. But still, there is something that gnaws at me with these types of calculations around what is ultimately our precious, beautiful, unique lives. I think maybe I’m coming at it from a different angle as I have been recovering from burnout for two years with friends around me who are trying to do the same but really struggling. It’s hard then to see others finding 22 hours a week where they could be doing even more, even if those activities are mindful and productive.
My word for the year is ease. To me that means doing less calculating, being more okay with sometimes having unproductive downtime with my phone, letting things take longer than they might need to and not planning every day of the week for myself.
Thank you for sharing your point of view - it’s so fascinating to hear from others who see life from a different view. I hope you can see where I’m coming from too!🥰
I always find that the busier I am, the better I spend my time. It’s like I am more aware of the hours I have when there are fewer of them? Love seeing this breakdown as a reminder of all of the time we have each week to spend on the things we need and love!!!