Where Does Your Time Go?
By LeAnna J. Carey | Jun 24, 2011
Steve Jobs says that, "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life..." Have you ever considered that to have optimal free time, you need to put effort into planning a meaningful experience, just as you prioritize and schedule your work week? Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, in his book, Finding Flow, reminds all of us that the world is full of opportunity, and only a lack of imagination and energy stands in the way.
In other words, if we are going to experience new things, we need to be mindful of our time, since we do not have unlimited time or energy. Mindfulness is a flexible state of mind-an openness to novelty, a process of actively drawing novel distinctions. When we are mindful, we become sensitive to context and perspective; we are situated in the present. Think about the opposite - when we are mindless we are trapped in rigid mind-sets, oblivious to context or perspective.[1] Goal setting will help you to be mindful of where your time is going, and most importantly where you want it to go! So what new things are on your agenda for this weekend?
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Where Does Time Go? |
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Productive Activities |
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Total: 14-60% |
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Working at night or studying |
10-45% |
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Talking, eating, daydreaming while at work |
4-15% |
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Maintenance Activities |
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Total 10-41% |
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Housework (cooking, cleaning, shopping) |
8-22% |
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Eating |
3-5% |
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Grooming (washing up, dressing) |
3-6% |
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Driving, transportation |
6-9% |
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Leisure Activities |
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Total 10-43% |
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Media (TV and reading) |
9-13% |
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Hobbies, sports, movies, restaurants |
4-13% |
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Talking, socializing |
4-11% |
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Idling, resting |
3-5% |
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Sources: Csikszentmihalyi and Graef 1980; Kubey and Csikszentmihaiyi 1990; Larson and Richards 1994 |
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[1]Langer, Ellen. (2005) Well-Being: Mindfulness Versus Positive Evaluation. Handbook of Positive Psychology