Work and family commitments can feel like a real drain on your day. Between all of the tasks most of us have to face on a daily basis, you can sometimes feel lucky to find the time to enjoy even the simplest of pleasures – like a quick cup of tea.
It can often feel like 24 hours isn’t long enough, but time for yourself isn’t necessarily hidden in the 25th hour of the day. Pod Space surveyed 2,000 people to find out how much time we spend on our daily activities and what impact a little bit of ‘me time’ can have on our health and well-being. On average the nation is getting seven hours of shut eye a night and we are making more of an effort to fit exercise into our daily routine; we spend an hour a day exercising. A third of us are finding at least half an hour a day to have a little fun between the sheets, but this only equates to just over a week’s worth of sex in a year (175 hours) – what a let-down!
The below chart shows the amount of hours a day, week and year we spend on daily activities:
65% of people said they don’t have enough time to do their hobbies as much as they would like to. Despite this, the average amount of time spent on social media every day is a whopping 60 minutes! The most popular hobby was reading with 58% of people saying they love nothing more than relaxing with a book. 26.7% of people felt more productive when they made time for their hobbies, but the most surprising result was 57% of respondents found that having the time to do their hobbies made them happier. A further 29.7% said they prioritise household chores before their hobbies.
Top 10 hobbies in the UK:
Parents are making more of a conscious effort to relax during the day with just under half saying they spend up to two hours relaxing (45.6%); this is compared with 36.2% of people who don’t have children. Four seems to be the magic number: parents of four are sleeping less (6 hours a night) but making more time to have sex (0.5 hours a day) and exercise between 1 to 2 hours a day (40.3%).
We found that the job you have is a pretty good indicator of how manage your time. Of those working in the media, more than half said they spend 7-8 hours working every day, with many finding 3-4 hours to relax, 1-2 for exercise, and 3-4 hours for socialisation. They are also the least likely to spend time browsing social media, with the average time spent being under 30 minutes per day. R&R is an essential part of anyone’s day, and not finding the time for yourself can lead to higher levels of stress. So it’s time to start making time for yourself – and being happier for it.
