You may be too busy to even finish reading this article. How many times have you said it? Someone tries to make plans and you are “too busy” to do anything. Solomon wrote, “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven” (Ecc. 3:1). Lately, there doesn’t seem to be enough time for anything and even less time for everything. What are we doing with our time?
If we look at a few numbers it might help us put things in perspective. The United States Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics conducted the American Time Use Survey from 2003 to 2014. When the U.S. Government is not awarding grants on studying the effects of Swedish massages on rabbits or studying to see if “hangry” spouses are more likely to stab the voodoo doll of their significant other, they are studying what we spend our time doing. (These were actual studies.) This study served to research what the average American household was doing with the 24 hours they were given each day. From the data collected, they made some interesting finds. This information includes people from 15 years of age and up. Employed individuals worked an average of 7.8 hours a day. On average, men spend 6 hours a day on leisure time, and women spend 5.2 hours a day on leisure time. Just to clear things up, men work .4 hours longer than women on average. That evens out on the leisure time. Individuals 75 years of age and above spend 8.1 hours a day in leisure time. Those with children under 6 spend about 8.4 hours a day providing some form of child care.
What did we learn? Employed individuals with children under the age of 6 spend 16.2 hours a day working and taking care of children. Those that work and do not have children spend between 13 hours (female) and 13.8 hours (male) on work and leisure. Those that are over 75 can do whatever they want. We all have 24 hours in a day. Granted, we may have more or less time depending on our stage in life. Also, some jobs are more demanding than others. However, we tend to do those things that are important to us. When we say we are too busy, we are saying that it is really not a priority for us right now. Those things that we make a priority are the things that we accomplish. I would encourage you to take a look at your calendar and see what your priorities are. Are they work, family, hobbies or time with the Lord and His people?
This is not meant to be a chastisement but rather a call to contemplation about where we are spending our time. Satan can make things look so important which, in the long run, will not matter. Thinking about our time and priorities in view of eternity helps keep things in perspective.