In a series of focus groups, Onward has found people still felt “too busy” or “too knackered” to participate in leisure activities. Burnt Out Britain provides fresh analysis on our use of time and argues that these symptoms – tiredness, feeling overworked and feeling rushed – are real but the diagnosis is wrong.
So why is Britain Burnt Out?
There are two problems. For most of us we are doing more and are chopping-and-changing between activities more frequently, making us feel overwhelmed. For example, people are doing the same number of activities on working days as people who aren’t working. But work can take up an average of 7 hours 14 minutes – or approximately 30% of the day.
But some groups are also having their time squeezed by work and personal commitments, like parents, part-time workers and night workers.
Helping people take back control over their time is essential if we are give people time to connect and take part in civic life.
The new report argues that rapid shifting between activities is breaking down the distinction between the different types of time – creating a greater sense of pressure, as well as reducing the quality of activities. In 1974, the average man changed activity 18 times in the day, which almost doubled to 31 times in 2014, and women have seen an equivalent increase, from 23 to 37.
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