I saw a post complaining about the lack of free time after working, cooking, cleaning, and exercising, even as a single person. So I decided to do some math.
Hmm interesting….
- 55 hours for a full time gig (factoring in a quick 1hr breakfast / morning routine, 1hr lunch, and 1hr commute)*
- 15 hours for six meals cooked at home (if you cook from scratch I don’t see how you would spend less than 2.5hrs cooking-eating-cleaning. Also I’m defining “often” as more than half of eleven meals – five dinners during the week and six during the weekend)
- 8 hours for the other five meals not eaten at home (a little more than an 1.5hrs each, including travel)
- 3 hours of exercise (CDC recommends 150 minutes per week)
- 56 hours for sleep (CDC recommends 7hrs or more for adults per night so 8hrs to include an evening routine)
- 4 hours for cleaning (this one seems a little short, but let’s go with a small apartment for a minimalist, so we’ll say it’s half a workday.)
That list totals up to 141 hours out of the 7×24 = 168 hours in a week.
This leaves 27 hours (or 1,620 minutes) to enjoy your off time. It’s odd number that feels simultaneously small and expansive….and I just spent 30 minutes writing this post!
*footnote: I am of the belief that a 40 hour week gig will only maintain your current position in life. If you have dreams of advancement, add another 8 hours for honing your skills – either at the company or on your own….so now we’re down to 19 hours of free time in a week.
**footnote: If you have young kids throw all this out the window. Hmm, maybe I should do this for myself….some other time!