Press: Time Bytes
Time is our constant companion. It exists in our past, present and future. We sometimes plan it, sometimes track it, but always use it. How we use it is something we all seem to be fascinated with.
There is no right or wrong way to use our time, but many of us are curious as to how we compare with others. To help satisfy this curiosity, we have gathered together what we believe to be at least interesting, if not intellectually stimulating, glimpses into time's uses.
Click on the area that interests you!
For the numbers oriented
Did you know that there are 525,600 minutes in a year? That means that if the saying " It' will only take me a minute" is correct, we could accomplish over half a million tasks a year. Or, if we were awake for 16 hours a day, we could earn up to 960 gold stars for getting our work done on time.
[back to Time Byte list]
How do we spend our lives?

[back to Time Byte list]
Top 10 Time Wasters
What things under your control get in the way of your productivity?
- No response / nothing
- Paperwork / administrative tasks
- Interruptions by phone or in person
- Time management
- No focus / doing too many things
- Procrastination
- Poor planning
- Socializing / breaks / calls to friends
- Customer complaints
- Lack of knowledge / training
[back to Time Byte list]
Which days are we most productive?
- Tuesday 51%
- Monday 17%
- Wednesday 15%
- Don't Know 11%
- Thursday 5%
- Friday 1%
[back to Time Byte list]
What are our favorite pastimes?
- Reading 29%
- TV Watching 19%
- Family Time 12%
- All Other 6%
[back to Time Byte list]
Who's toughest to buy a gift for?
| |
Men Say |
Women Say |
| Spouse |
37% |
31% |
| Parents |
28% |
25% |
[back to Time Byte list]
How stressful are our jobs?
- Very stressful 24%
- Moderately stressful 43%
- Little/no stress 34%
[back to Time Byte list]
How long do we work each week?
The average workweek is 46 hours including lunch and breaks.
[back to Time Byte list]
How long is our commute?
- Under 20 minutes 50%
- 20-45 minutes 32%
- More than 45 minutes 11%
- Don't know 7%
[back to Time Byte list]
Things we hate most during meetings
- People drifting off subject 83%
- Participants lack preparation 77%
- Questionable effectiveness 74%
- People not listening 67%
- People's wordiness 62%
- Length of time taken 60%
- People not participating 51%
- Emotional outbursts 41%
[back to Time Byte list]
Aliens
Percentage of people who believe in aliens:
[back to Time Byte list]
Sources:
How do we spend our lives? PPI, Pace Productivity, Inc. (survey of 690 people)
Top 10 Time Wasters, PPI, Accountemps survey of 150 US executives
Which days are we most productive? USA Today, From a USA Today poll
What are our favorite pastimes? USA Today, Marist Institute for Public Opinion
Who's toughest to buy a gift for? USA Today, The Wirthlin Report
How stressful are our jobs? USA Today, Maritz AmeriPoll
How long is our commute? PPI, Pace Productivity, Inc
How long do we work each week? PPI, Paul Rice - Timesource
Things we hate most during meetings, USA Today Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll
Aliens, USA Today
[back to Time Byte list]
|