The Ways We Spend Our Time

There are some things I just don’t understand about the way we use our time. I think many people; all of us really, need to re-evaluate how we spend our time and take a hard look at how we go about our days.

We spend 53 minutes a day on Facebook? And one out of every seven minutes surfing the web? And, only 18 minutes a day exercising and nine minutes a day in spiritual thought? How is this possible?

There has to be a point where we make it a priority to re-allocate the ways we spend the valuable minutes that are a part of everyday. Every minute that we waste and we aren’t using to better ourselves is a minute that can never be taken back.

In more general terms, what about when you’re spending time with your family after a long week at work? You may be out to dinner on a Friday night or watching a Little League game on Saturday afternoon, but you might spend a majority of that time on the phone or looking at your e-mail. It could be date night and both of you are on your phones throughout your dinner.

So how do we change?

First, limit your use of your electronic devices. If you’re going out and don’t have anything urgent pending for work, leave the cell phone at home. Your wife and kids will appreciate the additional attention.

If you’re home, set a time frame where you allow yourself to be on the computer. When that time is up, power down.

Spend more time with people face-to-face than keyboard-to-keyboard. There is nothing more valuable than connecting with people in this way.

And, here’s another thought. Maybe use the technologies that take over our lives to help connect with people in ways that were impossible before. A prime example of this is while in the car.  The average person drives between 10,000-12,000 miles every year. We spend over three years of our lives in the car. How are you spending that time?

Are you just blasting tunes when you could be learning something with an audio book? What about that fancy Bluetooth technology the car dealer coerced you into putting in your car- do you use it? Take the time you spend behind the wheel to set up calls with people you haven’t spoken to in a long time, or to connect with a colleague before arriving at your son’s Little League game.

There are so many ways we can change how we spend our time. What will you do differently?