If you live to be 82 years old, you have around 30,000 days on Earth. However, how much free time on Earth do you get in those 30,000 days? If you subtract the seven hours of sleep the average person gets a night, you’re left with about 21,300 days of awake time. Now, subtract 30 hours per week for work over a 40-year span. This leaves you with 18,700 days of spare time. That is, until you subtract three hours per day for eating, drinking, and household activities, which leaves you with a little over 14,900 days of leisure time.
While we’re at it, we should factor in .5 hours per day for education. Now you’re down to 14,300 days. Let’s say you care for others .7 hours per day. If so, then 13,400 days of disposable time remain. Next, subtract one hour per day for shopping, email, and phone calls. Now you’re down to just over 12,200 days worth of spare time beyond all these obligations. Let’s subtract other social media and networking obligations to bring this number down to an even 12,000 days. At best, then, you have 12,000 days of free time to do as you like. This assumes near-perfect health, and the number shrinks with each passing moment.
Practicing self-care will make those 12,000 days more pleasant. If you want to last to a relatively healthy 82 years old, be sure to exercise, eat right, and get sufficient rest. Research shows that it’s best to sleep for around 7-9 hours a night. Next, avoid unnecessary stress. It leads to insulin resistance, inflammation, illness, and accelerated aging. Avoid being too hard on yourself, too. Nobody is perfect, and you’re running out of time. Guilt robs you of the moment and can damage your mental and physical health. More than anything else, fall in love with some activity and do it every chance you get. You’re never going to figure out what life is all about, and it doesn’t matter. Try to enjoy what you have now. Everything will be over in the blink of an eye.
