Take it from someone who needs at least 45 minutes in the morning to get out of bed and have a shower. There just aren’t enough hours in the day.
It turns out I’m not alone because busy Brits reckon they need an additional four hours a day to get everything done, according to research.
Researchers who polled 2,000 UK adults found around half are struggling to cram everything in amid a feeling 24 hours is simply too little.
Hectic workloads, looking after the kids and keeping on top of housework are the most common reasons for the belief we need a 28 hour day.
Tbh, I’d settle for a four-day work week and leave at that, but back to the research…
The study also found if the days were a little longer, the number one thing those polled would do is get some much needed sleep.
Getting stuck into a good book would be their second choice, followed by having some ‘me-time’ and going for a walk in third and fourth spot respectively.
The survey was commissioned to celebrate the second season of MARS which premiered on National Geographic this Sunday.
The National Geographic series examines our future on the Red Planet, where the days are 37 minutes longer.
A spokesperson for National Geographic said:
Most of us will have uttered the words ‘there’s not enough hours in the day’ at some point.
And that’s unlikely to change anytime soon, but on Mars it’s a different story – a day is 37 minutes longer than on Earth.
Readers might be wondering what good is that is to them, but as our new show MARS reveals, Earthlings could be living on the Red Planet in the not too distant future.
Other things those polled would do if they had more time include learning a musical instrument, watching videos on YouTube and having a hot bath.
Listening to more music than they currently do, exercising more and cooking a meal from scratch feature too.
Further to this, half long for more ‘me-time’ than they get currently, while 56 per cent wish they were able to find more time specifically for fun.
And around six in 10 revealed they can’t remember the last occasion they had 37 minutes spare to do something they really want to do.
Despite this 52 per cent admit they rarely ‘seize the day’, while half admit they tend to get easily distracted when trying to make the most of their time.
And perhaps this is because much of the population is exhausted from work – a fifth of those polled said they are hindered by an uneven work/life balance.
Carried out through OnePoll.com, the research found 59 per cent work beyond their standard working hours – typically three hours extra on a weekday.
One in 10 even do extra work at the weekend – an average of four hours over Saturday and Sunday.
Four in 10 admit they regularly clock watch at work – counting down the minutes until they can get home.
From Earthlings to Martians, season two of National Geographic’s acclaimed hybrid series shows what life could really be like once we settle on the Red Planet with their 24 hour 37 minute days.
It features commentary from ‘big thinkers’ such as Elon Musk, Bill Nye, Ellen Stofan and Stephen Petranek.
Less slacking at the office and more grafting if you want to enjoy your weekends or get to Mars, I say.
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Tim Horner is a sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated with a BA Journalism from University College Falmouth before most his colleagues were born. A previous editor of adult mags, he now enjoys bringing the tone down in the viral news sector.