I Have A New Challenge For You
By Alice Henry
@IreneVincent (15960)
United States
March 9, 2016 11:45am CST
I’m trying to compile a Time Sensitive List on “How We Use Our Time.”
Each day has 24 hours and there are 7 days in a week which equals 168 hours. If we sleep just 8 hours per night, that equals 56 hours, leaving just 112 hours. I realize that some people sleep less than 8 hours per night, but that’s the average. Some sleep during the day, too.
IF you have a job, working 40 hours a week, how much time is REALLY involved? Consider your commuting time, would you agree that you would spend an average of another hour per day, commuting to and from your job? So, we could subtract another 47 hours, leaving just 65 hours.
IF you have a family, how much time do you spend, shopping for groceries, preparing meals or lunches, setting the table, eating at home, cleaning up the kitchen, cleaning house (bathrooms, taking out the trash, dusting, vacuuming,) yard work, car maintenance, cleaning car, laundry, paying bills, reading the mail, running errands (bank, Post Office, drug store.) I calculated about 21 hours (3 hours per day)
Every single thing we do takes time. Here are other things that consume the hours we have in a week. How many do you think apply to you? Attending religious meetings, Bible reading, reading, in general, personal hygiene (toilet, teeth, bathing, grooming, haircuts, make-up.) Driving to and from school, grocery shopping, doctors, etc.) I calculated another 21 hours per week (3 hours per day)
How about keeping in touch with relatives, siblings, grown children, grandchildren, visiting sick ones, going to the dentist, doctor, taking care of pets, plants , gardens. I calculated another 14 hours (2 hours per day.)
How much time do you think it takes just to dress and undress each day? It’s incredible how much TIME is needed to take care of all these things. A half an hour? That’s another 3 and ½ hours
Sleeping and working take the biggest chunk of our time. But, all these other things take time also. When I started adding it all up, even after assigning just one hour a day for personal hygiene and just two hours a day for cooking and cleaning up the kitchen after meals, and minimum time allotted to many of the other things I listed, I RAN OUT OF HOURS.
I used to take care of five children, a husband and a large house and work a job all at the same time. I kept a clean house, did about 20 loads of laundry per week and managed to attend religious meetings and do all the other chores connected with household duties, staying in touch with friends and family and visiting the sick. Looking back, I have no idea HOW I managed to do all that.
I didn’t even include watching TV or talking on the phone or playing games. Just watching a half-hour news show each evening uses up 3 and a half hours.
Now, I’m retired and I still can’t find enough time to do all that I would like to do each day. I do spend more time sleeping, even taking a nap on some days and I spend less time doing laundry and preparing meals than I used to do, that’s for sure.
How does your week go? What time do you think you spend doing any of the things on this long list of necessary chores?
I wonder if most husbands realize all your wife does in her daily routine. I once saw a “cartoon” about a woman whose house was neat and tidy every day when her husband came home from work. Dinner was ready and the kids were all bathed and had their homework finished and the laundry was all neatly folded and put away. And the husband said: “What did you do today, darling? I’ve had a really busy day. I guess it’s nice to stay home and not have much to do, isn’t it?”
So she didn’t DO anything the next day and when he came home from work and saw the house was a wreck and there was no dinner and the kids were… well you get the idea, I’m sure. He said: “What in the world is going on?” She said: “I decided NOT to do anything today. This is the result of not doing anything.” He got the message.
Of course, there are stay-at-home DADS and they DO know what all is involved in running a household. Also, most men, who support families, work hard at THEIR jobs, and that is very commendable, and most of them DO appreciate all that their wife does for the family.
I just wanted to see if my calculations on the TIME it takes for each chore adds up, in agreement with what you think?
4 people like this
4 responses
@paigea (36143)
• Canada
9 Mar 16
I have been struggling a lot with time lately. I was trying to schedule the things I do online into my day and saw that there is no way to do them plus work plus pay attention to family plus take care of the house. I am trying to figure out what to do, what to stop doing and how to make it all come together in a nice balance!
2 people like this
@IreneVincent (15960)
• United States
9 Mar 16
It's a BIG challenge to do it all. I can appreciate that. What I had to do with some things, is to do some things twice a month instead of every week. Like: keeping in touch with people. I have a long list of people to keep in touch with so I assigned them to different weeks. Laundry was done on the same day that I did the bathrooms and vacuumed. Grocery shopping was once a week when I did other errands and I cut out running to the store except on that day. You have to make a list and promise yourself that you will get what you need for the week. That means planning a menu and sticking to it.
Now, I don't have to struggle with all that. I have plenty of time every day, but I've gotten a bit lazy. I only have to do laundry every other week and I don't have to cook for a large family anymore.
2 people like this
@Auntylou (4262)
• Oxford, England
9 Mar 16
@IreneVincent You sound as if you have always been very well organised!
1 person likes this
@paigea (36143)
• Canada
9 Mar 16
@IreneVincent You were very organized. Somehow I raised my kids and worked full time too. I do not have that energy any more!
2 people like this

@puddleglum (1380)
• United States
9 Mar 16
I like your post. It reminds me of an I Love Lucy episode titled "Lucy's Schedule."
I work around 36 hours a week and do freelance writing at home and find I have little spare time. I'll be leaving my 36-hour job and starting a 40 hour a week job soon and possibly a part time one also. I'm going to have to figure out where to get the extra hours.
2 people like this

@IreneVincent (15960)
• United States
11 Mar 16
You will probably need to sit down and make a fairly rigid schedule for yourself. Multi-tasking and other means of scheduling. Some persons prepare two or three meals ahead and have an errand day, once a week. While you are cooking one meal, prepare another one and put it in the fridge for the next day. Or prepare enough of something to eat for two days, warming up the leftovers for the next day.
I used to find all sorts of ways to get things done in a hurry, or to do multiple things at the same time. I still have some of those habits even though I don't need to do them now. I have plenty of time since I have retired.
Now, I clean house like I used to do, concentrating on one room each day and just picking up in the other rooms. Also, get in the habit of hanging up your clothes as soon as you take them off, if you plan to wear them a second time. In fact, PLAN to wear them a second time. Most clothes don't have to be laundered after ONE use if you hang them up. This can save time and money.
2 people like this
@puddleglum (1380)
• United States
10 Mar 16
@Auntylou No, I don't. But that means I don't have as many responsibilities also. I think it's just a matter of getting organized.
1 person likes this


@Auntylou (4262)
• Oxford, England
9 Mar 16
@IreneVincent Nice one! You have made me chuckle!
1 person likes this
@IreneVincent (15960)
• United States
10 Mar 16
@Auntylou It is funny to say that but so true. The laundry never gets completely done EVER.
1 person likes this
@IreneVincent (15960)
• United States
9 Mar 16
I'm going to do a survey with my friends and family and see what they say. I will put up the results later.
2 people like this






