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Why are Adults so busy?

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Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#111

Post by chillingeffect »

somedangedname wrote: post #104
s_kilk wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why I like having a good todo-list and note-taking system, I can offload those concerns and not think about them until they're needed. I then have plenty of spare capacity for both generalised planning and chilling out.

Any tips on not obsessing over how detailed/well-planned your notes need to be? For me, note-taking just ends up being something else to worry about. Particularly when it comes to work.

My new technique is put many more items than possible on the todo list then get comfortable with the Swiss cheese appearance. Life is irregular so keep a pool of tasks in mind, not a rigid series.

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#112

Post by sqren »

Maybe this should be worded: Why are American adults so busy.

I've been living in the US for a couple of years, and have thoroughly enjoyed it, but it occurs to me that life is more "rushed" than I'm used to from Denmark.

RE: 1) Have Money

The standard work week is 37 hours. I love my job, but this leaves me plenty of time to do other stuff I enjoy.

RE: 6) Bills, Bills, Bills

Living in the US for a couple of years taught me this: cheques are a real thing and most payment processes are manual. Denmark: I no longer receive bills. The banking infrastructure allow consumers to "subscribe" to businesses, who can then withdraw the correct amount. If the amount increases the consumer won't have to change a thing. And it is easy to unsubscribe again :)

RE: 8) Transport + 9) Staying Healthy

Get a bike and combine commuting with exercise ;)

RE: 11) Taxes

Paying taxes in the US is A PAIN. Ordinary people need to hire an accountant (and still do most of the grunt work themselves) to make sure they pay the right amount. Denmark: fully automated system. Yes, the government has access to my bank account and investments (!privacy!), but my only tax-related action is to click "Accept" once a year.

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#113

Post by TeMPOraL »

geezerjay wrote: post #35
sagischwarz wrote: post #21

The numbers seemed very high to me so I created a list on my own and thought I'd share it (single, no kids, full time job). 1. Work: 40 hours 2. Cooking: 3 h (who the hell cooks three times a day?) 3. Laundry: 0.5 h (once a week) 4. Cleaning: 1 h (and I am very clean, I just avoid producing dirt) 5. Buying stuff: .5 h (I try to avoid buying too much stuff I don't really need) 6. Bills: 0 h (they a are paid automatica…

> 2. Cooking: 3 h (who the hell cooks three times a day?) People who enjoy cooking, and people who actually care for their health.

I explicitly divide my "cooking" into two categories. Food I make to sustain my body, and food I make because I like it as an activity. Most of the meals I eat fall under the former category, and so I personally prefer to eat meals that make themselves (e.g. drop some wieners into a pan, light up the stove, come back in 5 minutes, done) or to order - any time spent on preparing them is time wasted for me. Cooking for pleasure is something I'd put into "hobby" section, and thus not count it as a chore (cleaning up after it - that's another thing).

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#114

Post by chillingeffect »

An additional perspective: most of us don't leave and rejoin our jobs, so we have no downtime, long fluid moments of activity and rest. Also we forego most healthy time now for a massive payoff at retirement with diminished health. We fear this constantly.

To fix it, we should become contractors or 4 day week workers.

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#115

Post by lucaspiller »

I'm going to go against the norm: I recently bought my first car (I'm nearly 30) and am amazed how much time it saves and freedom it gives me. I've always lived in European cities with good public transport, but even here having a car is worthwhile.

Instead of taking a train and bus 30+ minutes to work, I leave when I want and know it will take me around 15 minutes to get there. Maybe I'm weird, but I find driving a lot more relaxing than public transport (at the moment it's really hot here so AC helps). If I want to get groceries I can stop in a supermarket on my way home from work, instead of walking 15 minutes each way (bonus: it also has a bigger selection and cheaper prices).

If I want to get out of the city it's easy, I can drive for 20 minutes instead of taking trains and buses for 1 1/2 hours and I'm at the sea. Before if I wanted to do that I'd book a car from a rental place, go collect it, return it hoping I didn't get any scratches, where as now I can be spontaneous.

Having a car can be expensive (I estimate over the life of my car it'll cost me around €2000/year + fuel) but for the benefits it provides, to me that is a justifiable cost.

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#116

Post by coldtea »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #102
coldtea wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet people in certain European countries and tons of other parts in the world with different work attitudes can have tons of free time, despite having children et al.

Which ones are those? I'm from an European country and one of the biggest sources of internal stress for me is just noticing how much of my life gets wasted by having to have a job.

>Which ones are those? I'm from an European country and one of the biggest sources of internal stress for me is just noticing how much of my life gets wasted by having to have a job.

Check out most small towns (200K or less) and villages in places like France, Italy, Spain, Greece, etc -- the one's I know off.

Or are small town residents not "adults"?

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#117

Post by TeMPOraL »

coldtea wrote: post #116
TeMPOraL wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which ones are those? I'm from an European country and one of the biggest sources of internal stress for me is just noticing how much of my life gets wasted by having to have a job.

> Which ones are those? I'm from an European country and one of the biggest sources of internal stress for me is just noticing how much of my life gets wasted by having to have a job. Check out most small towns (200K or less) and villages in places like France, Italy, Spain, Greece, etc -- the one's I know off. Or are small town residents not "adults"?

I'm a resident of 1M city. May be a part of the problem.

> Or are small town residents not "adults"?

Didn't mean to imply that. I was just whining about my own life ;).

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#118

Post by coldtea »

dazc wrote: post #81
coldtea wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Having grown up in the UK I've always felt guilty about not doing anything in my free time. Partly because everyone else seems to be living such a busy and rewarding existence In the UK? Have you been to Yorkshire?

I am from Yorkshire. Take the point though.

Heh, didn't know it, no offence meant.

Was mostly referring to all the urban poor, crime, domestic violence etc that goes on in large parts of the UK.

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#119

Post by anotheryou »

jezclaremurugan wrote: post #99

I guess most of the comments focussing on cutting down work.. but I get a serious mid life crisis - "what am I doing with my life" sinking feeling when I have time to spare. Being busy helps me avoid that..

I find it hard to compete against you in the job market, haha. I have a gazillion things I'd want to do if I had the time and energy.

Re: Why are Adults so busy?

#120

Post by dasboth »

geezerjay wrote: post #35
sagischwarz wrote: post #21

The numbers seemed very high to me so I created a list on my own and thought I'd share it (single, no kids, full time job). 1. Work: 40 hours 2. Cooking: 3 h (who the hell cooks three times a day?) 3. Laundry: 0.5 h (once a week) 4. Cleaning: 1 h (and I am very clean, I just avoid producing dirt) 5. Buying stuff: .5 h (I try to avoid buying too much stuff I don't really need) 6. Bills: 0 h (they a are paid automatica…

> 2. Cooking: 3 h (who the hell cooks three times a day?) People who enjoy cooking, and people who actually care for their health.

Even so, that can be reduced to twice a day if you cook in batches (i.e. have leftovers for lunch). That seems more optimal to me without compromising the healthy aspect.
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