This morning I got up early, before the kids and my husband, so I could squeeze in an hour of work & organizing before hitting the road for meetings. Sitting there in my pajamas I found myself becoming increasingly annoyed as I waited for the computer to boot up, and all of my programs to start. I swear, after less than 45 seconds I was practically twitching as I resisted clicking or otherwise touching something which might slow down the process.
It turns out I am not the only one waiting for my technology. According to a Harris Interactive survey commissioned by Intel, the average consumer spends about 13 minutes a day waiting for their technology to catch up with them.
Which adds up to 3 DAYS a year.
Intel calls this phenomenon “Hourglass Syndrome.” (Meaning, stress created by watching the hourglass spin on your computer).
There is no question that I have become more impatient with my technology and expect nearly instant gratification whether I’m trying to upload photos, watch video or check my e-mail. There is also no question that I may be crazy and probably need to slow down.
But three days! Think of what I could do with 3 extra days a year.
Or, more to the point – what would you do with 3 extra days? Leave a comment here and our friends at Intel will give one winner (selected at random, US addresses only please) a Sony VAIO Laptop with Intel(r) Core(tm) i5 Processor. (Disclosure: In accordance to the FTC Guidelines and the WOMMA Code of Ethics, I am disclosing that all expenses associated with this device are covered by Intel.)
We will draw our winner on Sunday, May 9, 2010.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
227 Responses to Giveaway: What would you do with 3 extra days?
News
From Real Simple- How I found my new sneakers May 7, 2012 Kristin Brandt
- What is your number one marital pet peeve? April 30, 2012 Kristin Brandt
- How I’m starting to train for my triathlon April 26, 2012 Kristin Brandt
- A Cat with a Curfew? Indoor Cats vs. Outdoor Cats April 20, 2012 Jennifer Mirsky
If I had three days I would spend it with my little girl, doing whatever she wanted with no time limits.
Having 3 kids I would spend a day with each of them. I would also catch some extra sleep on those days too. In the evening I would spend more time with my husband.
An extra 3 days! I’d go in to my girls’ school and finally help out in their classes. I’d fit in exercise, cleaning, and finally, FINALLY play that game of Sequence or Chutes and Ladders or Uno that my daughters have been begging to play but I keep putting off because “I’m in the middle of something.” And, if the modem was working, I would post those pictures of my daughters’ birthday parties online for my parents out of state and overseas to see!
I would take a short break in Belgium. Totally be a tourist.
Take a vacation with my husband! We haven’t had one with just the two of us in five years.
3 extra days? Catch up on reading, sewing projects, and catch up on some of the tv I have backlogged on the DVR!
With three extra days, I’d spend one day as family day, one day with my husband as a date day, and one day all to myself!!
Hmm, with three extra days I’d like to say that I would try and finally get caught up on all of the housework that needs to get done around here – but I know that I would spend it with my kids. And maybe a day just to myself.
I would catch up on sleep and spend time with my daughter. Maybe even read a book.
I’d spend three days the same way I spend them now.
I would clean out my closets, read a book, have a nice dinner with my husband, and play with my daughters.
With an extra 72 hours in my year I would carefully plan my whimsy. I would of course spend the days with my son and husband. I would go to the beach (that I never see even though I live in So Cal) and dig in the sand, play in the water. I would make sure I had a generous roll of bubble wrap and spend the afternoon popping it on the sidewalk while blowing bubbles with my son. I would finish all the Islands on Treasure Isle for Facebook (My family is addicted!!!)and then I would watch some shows on Hulu on my new laptop by the beach…what did I miss on Brothers & Sisters? And then I would spend some guilt free time actually looking at all the magazines that I get that I don’t get to review (thank you for your magazine recap shows otherwise I’d be totally clueless!) I would take some pictures of the sunset and all the beautiful architecture in San Diego and then spend the next day uploading pictures to make photo books and that amazing blog that I’ve always dreamed of with super artsy pictures. Lastly, I’d solicit Papa & Grandma to babysit for the evening and then hubby and I would get a bottle of wine, chocolate covered strawberries and go down to the beach again for a picnic under the stars. That is 3 guilt free days that make the other 365 Manic Mommy days worth it!
I would go somewhere nobody needed me and just relax with books and a frosty beverage in between naps.
I would not “catch up.” I would not organize or do laundry. I would take a short vacation, a long weekend. I would maybe go camping – something we haven’t done in at least 6 years. I might even take a mini-cruise from California to Mexico. I can’t decide if I would take the kids.
I would spend time with my family and go hiking in Colorado Springs!
I would learn to bake bread and donuts, throw together a huge brunch, invite a bunch of folks over, and recoup the rest of the time (dude, it’d be a killer brunch).
3 extra days you say?!?!? I’m thinking Disney Cruise!!!!
Three days! Wow, what wouldn’t I do? I’d get caught up on projects around the house, play with my daughter, read a book and spend some alone time with my husband.
If I had three extra days, what would I do? I think I would spend time obsessing over why I wasn’t given 3 more days…LOL. I feel like I never have enough time to do anything. My mind is always racing. I have 4 kids, two boys, two girls. I would love to spend more time with them, but with two jobs and a three hour commute back and forth to work, well its not easy. I am truly a manic mommy. I can’t even think about watching TV unless its after 10pm. I get no time for myself. My laptop is a joke, because while the kids are awake, they are constantly asking if they can use it.. I would love a new laptop… Well here’s to hoping. Its so true about that hourglass and the stress that it brings. I am very inpatient, I want instant gratification as well….
Relax, relax, relax!
I would definitely add it to my vacation. I love family vacations and they’re NEVER long enough.
Three extra days – take my mom to a spa and get the works. Catch up on all the family gossip and thank her for being a great mom.
I wish I would: sleep, read, and go to the gym.
Likely I would: work, spend time with kids and do errands!
If I had 3 extra days back, I’d love to sit down with my stepkids and hear about all the things I missed out on in their lives before I was engaged to their dad. I’d love to hear about their favorite childhood memories and their favorite places; and figure out how I can help them make new favorite memories now that I’m in their lives. Sometimes life is just too full of homework, sports practices, and running here & there to stop and take time for the more cerebral activities and deep discussions.
If I had a extra three days I would knit a sweater and finish the book The Time Traveler’s Wife.
Thanks for the drawing!! Sandy
After the day I had today, doing everything and anything for everyone else, I would say that I would spend 3 days with just myself, doing whatever I wanted…(insert gulp of wine here…)
1 day for the almost 1 yr old enjoying the last bit of babydom. 1 day for 3 yr old enjoying the lack of sass( I can hope) and 1 day of sleep!
I think I would definitely sleep as much as possible and take a trip with my husband. We can’t ever seem to fit in those ever so important date nights!
If I had three extra days I would spend it somewhere tropical with my family! I would enjoy our time together out in the sun, playing on the beach!!
3 extra days? Has to be either a vacation or lots of sleep. Or maybe both.
A trip with the family! Or maybe it’s three days of time to clean piles that make me feel better about leaving town and living it up!
I would clean this house and have it stay clean for more than a minute.
Call me pitiful, but my highest goal for a half-week home from work and kid-free is to finally get every single piece of laundry in this house washed and folded and put away AT THE SAME TIME. (And if I also could sleep past 7:00 a.m. on at least one of those days, I’d be ecstatic!)
I can’t decide! I would either do all of the things I always mean to do but never have time for, like finishing my daughter’s first year photo book (she’s 3) and cleaning out my closet..or I would say forget all that and just pile my family in the car and head for the beach!
If I had 3 days, I would spend it taking a vacation with my family. It seems like we are going in all different directions. It would be nice to slow down and do nothing all day!
Three Days- One for my girls, one for my husband and one for me.
With three extra days, I would take a long bath, lots of naps, and read lots of books.
I would kidnap my husband and go somewhere far away with no phones and no computers. Money is tight right now and its hard for us to get away and even when we manage a little alone time we are still both tied to our damn cell phones. A 3 day cruise getaway would be the perfect solution b/c you don’t use your phone and we wouldn’t be tempted to call our families!
One day sleep, one day cleaning and one day sewing things just for me!
3 days? I’d spend them by the water with my family, relaxing with books and good food/wine!
Take a deep breath and start planning. 3 whole days!
Day 1 for me – spa, mani/pedi and read my new book “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”.
Day 2 – I’d take my daughter out of school and head down to San Francisco for the Academy of Sciences for our daughter/mom day field trip.
Day 3 – go drive down to Santa Cruz with my husband and have a picnic on the beach.
Definitively take a vacation with my husband.
We haven’t done that in the past five years!!!!!!
No family around.
Once I got over the shock of the opportunity of ‘extra time’ in life, I would spend the time organizing digital files. It drives me crazy that my music, pictures and videos are not organized. I just think it seems very selfish to spend time on such things when the house needs to be cleaned, laundry done and spend time with my family.
I think I’d go to Chicago with my husband and have a wonderful couple of days and then take a day and go bike riding with the kids on the great trails we have around our house. I would not look at the laundry that needs to be folded, toilets that need to be cleaned or the floors that need vacuuming.
I would conquer Photoshop Elements so that I can digitally scrapbook and make advertisements for our business!! And when I was sick of that, I would read romance novels. And when I was sick of that, I would sleep. Ahhhh, the bliss
Sleep, need I say more.
With 3 extra days I would actually start and finish a book. I would go rock hunting on the beach with my daughter and husband. I would also try to start that scrapbook I said I would do for my daughter (she’s 4 and I have not done a single page!).
Vacation! Grab the kids and husband and hit the beach! Hope I had time to pack a couple books and sand toys in my hurry to get on the road.
I would send the kids to school in the morning to give myself time for me! Bring then home for a late nap (and join them) and then take them to the park for some afternoon fun and a picnic.
While they’re away:
Day 1: nails
Day 2: shopping
Day 3: catch up on cleaning the house.
All three days I would sleep in or at least get 8 hours of sleep without interuption. Then I would get all of my scrapbooking out and begin putting my memories together. I have been trying to do this since my first child has been born and have four years built up. I really enjoy scrapbooking and it relaxes me.