The Time Victim
In the course of my work, I’m always hearing about the amount of time people don’t have to create their best life. To explore their potential. Achieve their goals. No time to study. No time to finish that course. To get in shape. To write that book. To do charity work. To respond to emails. To go camping with the kids. To change the things that need to be changed. Apparently, we’re all helpless victims of a severe time shortage. Of course, our lack of productivity and progress has nothing to do with our attitude, organisational skills, time-management skills, priorities or motivation. Nope, success or failure is all about the hours in a day. Or should I say, the lack thereof.
Let the Government Fix it (I say)
If only we worked on a twenty-five hour clock, life would be much better. We would have no time issues at all. And, of course, we’d all be incredibly productive, happy and fulfilled. After all, we’re not the problem – it’s a time issue. Damn that twenty-four hour clock. Who created that? How short-sighted. The government can do pretty much anything; surely they can give us a twenty-five hour day? Why can’t they enlist the scientific fraternity to figure out some way to slow our orbit of the sun? It couldn’t be that hard, could it? They (the clever folk) built the iPhone, so how hard could it be to put the brakes on a teensy-weensy planet like Earth in order to give us a longer day? Personally, I don’t think they’re trying hard enough.
Oh, by the way, here are some recent figures on how much TV we watch:
| = 1 | United Kingdom: | 28 hours per person per week | |
| = 1 | United States: | 28 hours per person per week | |
| # 3 | Italy: | 27 hours per person per week | |
| = 4 | Ireland: | 23 hours per person per week | |
| = 4 | France: | 23 hours per person per week | |
| = 4 | Germany: | 23 hours per person per week | |
| # 7 | Australia: | 22 hours per person per week | |
| = 8 | Denmark: | 20 hours per person per week | |
| = 8 | Netherlands: | 20 hours per person per week | |
| # 10 | Belgium: | 19 hours per person per week | |
| = 11 | Finland: | 18 hours per person per week | |
| = 11 | Norway: | 18 hours per person per week | |
| = 11 | Sweden: | 18 hours per person per week |
Nope, definitely not an ‘us’ issue. 
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Atleast we lead the world at something.
Brimingham, UK.
Duncan
Sorry Craig, no time to read this blog today…………………………:-)
I hope the person who is watching my share of the 22 hours I am supposed to be watching the tv is enjoying it!! But if truth be told… maybe that should include ‘sitting at a computer’ time!
Time for bed
LOL @Matt
I’ve replaced tv with surfing the web which is no better in a lot of ways
But Craig-TV is a great relationship substitute!
Some people spend the equivalent hours stuck in books, and while I’m all for reading, I think heavy reading can also be a way of isolating yourself and checking out of your life.
That’s why feng shui experts say it’s not advisable to keep books by your bed.
Or a tv in there.
Oh right, we’re talking about getting other things done…
Wow it never ceases to amaze me! People who actually watch tv, or sit on the internet.. I dont know how they do it! Interesting stats .. almost unbelievable.
Personally i do work for the Government and I need my Flex days just to keep up I dont even understand how people have kids and find the time for them but then again as you have said it is all a choice… we choose what we want here!
for me I really need to prioritise as I cant do everything in 24 hours… and I supose this is the issue I want to do achieve everything! Always wanting more.. anyway am in a culling process at present so lets see how many extra minutes that will give me.
Hilarious! Thanks Craig
Those tv watching stats are tragic. Really, people are just frittering their lives away it makes me so sad. The other day I was down at the stunning Noosa main beach with my husband and we were laughing as we watched a gorgeous couple walk along the sand together each with their heads down concentrating furiously on their mobile phones.
It’s true that tv can be a good relationship substitute (I only watch once show a week and the ladies in it are dear friends of mine:) but if people didn’t stay home watching tv they might be able to develop some real relationships. Try getting out and about in the evenings – doing a dance class, book club, toastmasters or whatever takes your fancy.
Great post, thanks for sharing it with us:)
Hey Craig,
I am in a process that links your last two articles, as part of my turn my life around plan I decided that I have been wasting too much time on television and wanted to be doing not spectating. I can’t draw so I have taken up stamping and have been loaned a guitar by a friend so I can try and teach myself to play. Creative, interactive and where will I gain the time I need to do this, by turning off the box in the corner.
cheers
Lisa from USA:
To assume heavy books or use of the internet or anything = avodance is to me not true, not always anyway. Generalisations like that are not always fact. No offence intended I just don’t always see that X = Y therefore it is true.
People always make time for what they think they really want, even if it’s bad for them. Take TV for example, some people just really want to veg out and spend copious hours watching fictional lives. Some people also want to avoid taking responsibility for their very real lives, and they’ll invest time in doing that too. TV, drugs, alcohol, food, you name it! I should know, I do a bit of avoidance myself from time to time.
Take, for example, the overweight parent who always complains about not having enough time to exercise. Now the “But I have kids to look after” excuses can often create a rabbit in headlights response, it’s so damn convincing. The truth, though, is that if he/she really wanted to get fit, a way would be found… nuff said.
Ditto re Matt… LMAO. Shame you added the “today” bit at the end, as if you were attempting to soften the blow. The first line was perfect, all on its own.
Hi Michael,
Robyn said it well:
“Some people just want to veg out and spend copious hours watching fictional lives,”
That’s what I was getting at with the relationship substitute comment. TV, books, the Net, etc,- all potential for being nothing but “time suck” in the long run with nothing personally productive accomplished as a result.
You’re right, not true of everyone.
I think Craig might be making the same point….
xo
Right on Craig… I don’t watch tv, and it always amazes people when I tell them that.. it is ALWAYS met with disbelief.
They are also the same people who ask me how I got to be so much slimmer, and when I tell them I exercise every day, they tell me they are too busy. Hmmmm, really?
So, are they busier than me? I ponder…
Single Mum, 4 kids still at home who leaves home at 3.30am each weekday to drive 126 kilometres to work, works 10 hours, returns home, collects 2 of the kids and heads to the gym by 5pm, collects child 3 from work on the way home, cooks tea, whilst housecleaning, homeworking, completing school permission slips, washing up, hanging out the washing, doing the ironing, making lunches for the next day….
Yeah they must be busier than me… because they get to watch TV… where as silly ole me, only gets to go the gym….
As a wise (not very) old man once said to me.. Decisions dictate results…. I decide to use my “spare” time in creating a healthy world for myself and my kids… they do not…. and the results are obvious..
Thanks Craig for bringing up this statistic.. it seems incredible to me that one could spend so much time sitting round.. but then again perhaps I am just jealous..
Jak