Build with Clay #100: Hours
A bi-weekly newsletter sparking personal growth
Hi, reader!
We are at Newsletter 100 and you’re still here! I am beyond grateful for you! I have truly enjoyed writing and I’m honored (and still a bit surprised!) that so many of you seem to enjoy my musings.
A special shoutout to Whitney D., Mark B., Matt C., Judd F., Paul P., Kathy F., Catherine D., Jane D., Jon B., Bill F., David K., Richard S., Katie B., Skip L., Nancy M., Rose D., Srini S. and Adam T. who consistently provide feedback and encouragement. Your words mean more than you know!
Trivia for today: A super simple online database is known by what four-letter Hawaiian word for speedy?
With that, welcome to the 100th newsletter! This one is all about Hours.
A week.
We have 100 hours each week.
100 hours. That’s it.
That’s what you get after you remove the hours for sleeping, showering, and using the restroom.
Each hour is 1% of your week.
You commuted 30 minutes each way 5 days this week? That was 5% of your week.
You worked 9-5 with a lunch break? That’s 40%.
You exercised 45 minutes each day? That’s 5.25%.
You watched Season 2 of Parks and Rec? That’s 8.8%.
You scrolled social media 90 minutes each day? That’s 10.5%.
If you did all the above, you’ve got just over 30 hours left (an average of 4 hours and 15 minutes each day):
To eat breakfast, lunch and dinner.
To go grocery shopping.
To play with your kids.
To get your car fixed.
To visit with friends.
To go out to dinner.
To call your mom.
To mow the lawn.
To walk the dog.
To get a haircut.
To volunteer.
To pay bills.
To vacuum.
To clean.
To relax.
To read.
To live.
A thought.
How we spend our hours is how we spend our lives.
A healthy exercise is to discover how YOU are spending your hours.
Think about the last 14 days (200 hours) and jot down roughly how you spent your time.
I found that looking at your calendar and reviewing your screen time (both phone and laptop) can help jog the memory.
Now you’ve got 2 weeks of data!
What % are you proud of?
What % are you surprised by?
The first time I did this exercise, I was alarmed at how I was spending some of my hours.
This exercise was the catalyst for a lot of change (albeit slow) in my life.
How are you spending your life?
A quote.
“Time is a gift that most of us take for granted. We get so caught up in the busyness of our daily lives that we rarely stop and take a serious look at how we’re spending this gift.”
Answer: Wiki
Congrats to 100!