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Time poverty
From CopperWiki
Time poverty is the sense that we are always short of time and running behind personal and/or professional deadlines even as we cram more and more activities and tasks in our day than our previous generation. The phrase was used by marketing consultant Bill Geist in 2002.
Today, people can do more. do it faster, from anywhere, all the time. They can work from home or the coffee shop or even the beach.
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[edit] Why should I be aware of this?
Time poverty has a far reaching impact on our health, quality of life and society at large. Those affected might not even know they are aflicted by it and might harm their soul, soil and surroundings without realising.
Despite being a part of the most productive, most efficient workforce that ever inhabited this planet; with technology at our fingertips, convenience foods to prepare, entertainment in our living room, and 24-hour access to the world via the World Wide Web, we might have over-scheduled our life and the lives of our children. We cannot seem to get ahead or even seem to keep up. We reach the end of each day completely exhausted and stressed out.
[edit] How does this affect me?
According to Dr. Bill Quain, we are spending too much time at work, and not enough time on the things we really want to do. We are working more hours than peasants did in the Middle Ages, and spend less time at home with our families because of it. We are busy staying busy, but all that work does not always translate to a better lifestyle. Our debt is up, and our leisure time is down. In fact, we don’t even take the leisure time we’ve earned. More than 25 percent of Americans will take no vacation days at all next year
Time Poverty compromises
- Health
- Marriage
- Parenthood
- Community and social activism.
[edit] All about time poverty
Time poverty is different from financial poverty. Financially poor people don’t have money, but time poor people do have time.
[edit] Are you suffering from Time Poverty?
You are suffering from Time Poverty if
- Life has become a sum of tasks, with the short term always taking the the priority.
- If you have a sense of running out of time.
- Family meals are a thing of the past.
- You are running from appointment to appointment
- Taking work home
- Cramming leisure time into short bursts of stress filled moments.
- Despite being more connected you are actually disconnected from those who matter to you.
- You are stressed with multitasking demands over time.
[edit] Manifestations of time poverty
- Convenience Foods - These foods are fast to prepare and eat, but often are not nutritious and make us fat.
- Long Commutes to Work
- Overscheduled kids
- Underconnected Familes
- Shrinking Vacations
- No time for community or volunteering for a cause you believe in.
[edit] Impact of time poverty
- Stress
- Less family bonding
- Depression
- Sleep disorders
- Insomnia
- Guilt
- Bullying among kids
- Prominence of fast food, junk food and processed food in the diet.
[edit] Time poverty and environment
Though the two sound unrelated, time poor people have a deterimental impact on environment. They use time saving devices and because of lack of time, do not recycle
- Disposable razors
- Disposable diapers
- Frozen dinner packaging
- Plastic bags
- Plastic plates
- Bottled water
- Larger carbon footprint thanks to long commutes and bigger vehicles
[edit] What can I do?
- Take a job you like
- Get off the "fast track" at work.
- Stock up on kitchen essentials to eat healthier meals
- Negotiate for a more manageable work week and/or vacation instead of more money and a promotion
- Reduce your commute and your reliance on an expensive vehicle
- Move into a more family town allowing children to walk and ride their bikes to school
- Opt for green schools and green commute for your kids.
[edit] Unlearn
- Taking more time off from work to improve your quality of life might end up adding to your stress. More time at the cost of less money is not a solution to time poverty as the quality of life suffers.
- The present day time saving elecronic gadgets paradoxically add To your Time Poverty eather than easing it.
- Contrary to popular perception, planning and better efficiency does not reduce time poverty.
[edit] CopperByte
- Studies have shown that men who took an annual vacation reduced the risk of heart attack by 30% while frequent vacations cut women’s risk of death from heart disease TO half
- Americans work an average of nine full weeks (350 hours) more per year than their European counterparts.[1]
- The University of Michigan’s Survey Research Center has uncovered a 28% drop in the number of families taking vacations.[1]
- A 2004 Gallop poll released showed that only 28% of American families with children eat together seven nights a week, a 10% drop from three years ago. In contrast, Gallop found that 40% of Canadian families and 38% of families in Great Britain eat together seven nights a week. The poll also showed that the percentage American families who eat together at least four nights week (75%) is falling steadily. This figure was 79% in 2001 and 83% in 1997.
- Since the late 1970s, children have lost 12 hours per week in free time, including a 25% drop in play overall including a 50% drop in unstructured outdoor activities, according to a national survey by the University of Michigan’s Survey Research Center. The Survey Research Center also found that students spend eight hours more a week in school than kids did 20 years ago, and homework time has nearly doubled.
- The children from the more relaxed, slower environment turned out less anxious, more eager to learn and better able to think independently.
[edit] References
- A Gendered Analysis of Time Poverty The Importance of Infrastructure
- time poverty
- Can You Overcome Time Poverty? The Real Possibility of Achieving More While Working Less
- Time Poverty Fact Sheet
- Take Back Your Time, Fighting Overwork and Time Poverty in America
