A wide-ranging lifestyle report into how people spend time claims that, far from being considered ‘time-saving’ devices, many people actually feel that the mass of gadgets and communication tools they carry around with have actually eaten into their free time.
The survey was carried out by the Consumer Analysis Group on behalf of life assurance firm Friends Provident and questioned people on a wide range of time-management subjects, including how they spend their free time.
Free time
According to the survey’s findings, up to one in three Brits now feel that the mobile phones, Blackberries, PDAs and laptops they have traditionally relied on to keep them in touch are now robbing them of their free time.
This boils down to the fact that most people are now always contactable via mobile or email has also led many to feel they are constantly ‘on duty’ and unable to ‘switch off’.
One in two people now feel that they are busier now than they were five years ago and have less time to relax. A fifth of respondents claimed they had to continually ‘multi-task’ their way through life, constantly juggling two or more things at a time.
Commenting on the survey Christine O’Grady, senior retail media relations executive at Friends Provident, said that people basically need to learn how to switch off: “Perhaps it’s time to learn when to switch off the gadgets and relax. There are, after all, more important things to think about in life.”
Amen to that.
