Rush, rush, hurry, hurry, not enough time……?

Most people these days feel that they are under a lot of time pressure. They simply don't have enough time to do the things that they want to do. But, are they accurate in their impressions? "In 1995 Americans worked LESS than they did 30 years earlier: The average woman put in 31 hours per week, down from 37 in 1965, and the average man worked 40 hours, compared to 46.5 in the mid-60s. And though women still do two-thirds of the childcare and housework, men and women come out even when time spent on domestic duties is combined with hours of paid employment. These findings come from comparisons of time diaries filled out by a cross section of the U.S. population in 1965, 1975, 1985, and 1995.

"So why do we have the illusion that we work so much? Most of our increased free time occurs during the workweek, in small increments tailor-made for TV. According to the diaries, all of the gains in free time since 1965 have been eaten away by additional TV viewing. More important, surveys show a dramatic increase in the pace of life. Over a third of the U.S. population says it always feels rushed---even retirees and students with 48 hours of free time per week" (Psychology Today, September/October 1997, p. 24. See Time For Life: The Surprising Ways Americans Use Their Time by sociologists John P. Robinson and Geoffrey Godbey, Penn State University Press, for more information on time use.)

So how can we take this information and use it to help others and ourselves?

If a person feels that they are rushed, that they don't have enough time, that they are working too much; then they should do a time diary to explore with precision how they really are using the time they have. If they are like the average American, they really have more time today than they had in the past; they are just using more of it to watch television. If that is the case, they then can decide what they want to do. Do they want to continue watching all that television and feeling time-pressured? Or, do they want to turn the TV off, at least some of the time, and feel less pressure? It is their choice. However, once they realize that it is their choice, then they have no one to blame except themselves if they elect to continue watching all of that TV!

Keep in mind that not everyone is average, some people really are working more hours and they also need to make a choice. What is that time pressure costing them? Can they restructure their life so that it is less taken up by work?

The most important thing each and every one of us needs to do, is decide to take control of our life, to feel that we can do something about how we utilize our time. The most dangerous thing we can do, is feel that we can do nothing. Even if you decide not to change, if you recognize that YOU are the one making that choice, then you are in control and you will feel better!