You have time, and data proves it.

When asked about our intentions to act on the environment and social issues, or when we complain about the lack of people bringing that action, many of us feel that we would like to do more, sometimes start something, and often feel overwhelmed by the fact that we "don't have time". But is that really a fact? This article intends to show you that, statistically speaking, you probably have time.

Obviously, we all have things to do during our days. Some seem to do more than others, but everyone has an agenda with tasks to be done, with certain considerations of priority and importance that are often subjective, but nonetheless important to each of us. From this point of view, we could say that all is fine, everyone does what they feel the most attracted to. This might be true, but we could also question whether the activities we feel most attracted to do effectively leads to the highest level of satisfaction in our lives.

I believe that if you answered yes to this question, you may be one of the lucky or well-deserving ones who live a very satisfying life. But then, you would probably not ask yourself if you could do more for others and the environment, would you? It seems to be that such questions of giving some of our time for great causes and others holds a meaning to us because we know that their reward is greater than a lot of outcomes of our daily activities. What is it then, that pushes us to go at the beach with other people to pick up trash left by ships and inconsiderate picnickers? Why do we give some of our time to the local community center to help kids read better? Why do we volunteer to take care of elderly? We may not be the ones doing these things, but we often think that our life would be more fulfilling if we did.

So where is the issue? Why don't we "have time" or "take time"? The answer, or part of the answer, may be simpler than it looks. What do people of Bolivia and Laos have in common that often prevents them to go to the beach? Well, first heir countries do no have access to the sea (along 42 other so-called "landlocked countries" in the world), but also, they have wonderful mountains to explore. The point is, other constraints often take away the time you could use for activities you want to pursue. This could not be otherwise, even if you were born in a totally different place, as there is always some activity we can pick up... even when that activity consists in remaining static in front of a screen projecting images from fake realities played by "actors" (who do not really act, but may very well pretend to).

The goal if this article is not to tell you what you should or should not do. Watching a movie after a difficult week has never been a crime and should not lead to a feeling of guilt. Plus there are some very inspiring ones. No, this article intends to insist on the idea that if you want to introduce new activities in your life, you do have the time for them. Obviously, this means that you will have to remove some activities already there, and you will have to choose wisely. It is actually not easy. But the first step is again to convince yourself that you actually HAVE the time, and actually plenty of time, as we are going to try showing here.

So let us present 3 arguments why we actually "do have the time".

1. We have time each day & this is true because Arnold said it!

I know this is easy, but Arnold Schwarzenegger is a good argument of authority. Have you ever seen his famous speech on time management?

Arnold is very pragmatic, he says that everyone has 24 hours in a day, sleeping 6-8 hours. Thus everyone has 16-18 hours remaining that he/she can choose to use in one way or another. He then breaks it down into 10 hours of work, let say at your job, and commute about 1-2 hours, and still have 4-7 hours to do some other activities each day. And this does not include weekends! If Arnold is not an authority to you, this chart by Our World in Data may be:

One important thing to notice in this chart is that it averages the time-use of people between 15 and 64 years old. This is why time for paid work is so little, as youngest and oldest people in the populations do not work, on average, as much as middle-age citizens. And one should also consider that unemployed people (by choice or not) would also influence the numbers. But let's face it, even if this consideration would tend to make us spend much more time at work that the chart above, we have at least some time in our days to do what we inspire to do.

2. We work less and less than before.

We may have to be cautious about what we call work and what we don't. But overall, it is clear that populations all around the work tend to work less with time. This in certainly to be related to our increase in productivity, and likely our over-use of fossil fuels, but it is still a fact that we have more time away from the office every decade, especially in the most developed economies. This is a quasi-universal trend. The more wealthy an economy, the less working hours per year (see below chart). So, if you are living in a wealthy country, it is likely that saying you "don't have time" is not as believable (statistically!) as someone in a poor country making the same claim. But obviously, every person is different and has a different set of constraints to work with.

Furthermore, you probably also have more vacation than before, though the world is not really fair when it comes to holidays. When you live in Asia, you may actually enjoy only 10 days of entitled vacation days, and about the same number of national holidays. When you live in the West, on the other hand, you can sometimes enjoy about twice the same amount of days to give to your family, yourself, your passions, the environment and others.

Finally, let's not forget that economic development also tend to increase life expectancy. Hence not only do we tend to work less with time, we also tend to live longer. Hence we have more free time overall, and we may enjoy more retirement time which, if in good health, also allows us to act for the environment and social justice.

3. We have changing lifestyles bringing more free time.

Innovations in technology have streamlined many tasks that once took a considerable amount of time. For example, household chores that used to take hours can now be completed much faster thanks to modern appliances like dishwashers, washing machines, and vacuum cleaners. Food delivery has even removed from us the duty to cook!

Though we should consider the environmental impact of all these solutions and act smartly (such as ordering food delivery from nearby restaurants), it is undeniable that these technological developments have saved us a massive amount of time. If you thought that the washing machine is kind of funny to include in the list above, go check this video by Economics Explained, arguing that the washing machine may have had a bigger economic impact on our lives that the Internet itself.

Furthermore, the rise of remote and hybrid work models, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has eliminated commute times for many people, offering more flexibility in managing our work schedules, spending more time with our loved ones, and working more efficiently. In this case, the Internet and numerous technology companies have been a great source of innovations in remote work, reducing carbon emissions relating to transports, and increasing our connectivity. This connectivity also allows us to act more easily on social and environmental causes in ways that do not require as much time as it used to be.

Wrapping up...

This article has presented to you several arguments to emphasize the idea that we have more time that ever to act on environmental problems and social issues than we think we could contribute to. It is important to realize this fact first, as considering that we do not have time removes the possibility to think any further. On the other hand, by admitting that we DO have time (and even if in reality that time is limited), we can then open our mind to solutions and trade-offs (as there will be!) in order to pursue the actions which are really fulfilling in our lives. We should thus make a conscious choice in deciding that we have the time, and now is the time to make a good use of it.