The Untapped Hours: Finding Meaning and Magic in Your Everyday
Okay, middle lifers, let’s do some quick and dirty math that might just blow your mind (or at least make you rethink that extra load of laundry).
There are a grand total of 8,760 hours spinning around the sun in a single year. Pretty big number, right?
Now, let’s break down the “adulting” part:
- The Grind (aka the 9-to-5): If you’re rocking a standard 40-hour work week, that eats up a solid 2,080 hours of your year. You’re a productivity machine!
- The Sweet Escape (aka Sleep): Aiming for a healthy 7 hours of shut-eye a night? That’s a whopping 2,555 hours dedicated to recharging those batteries. Essential stuff!
Alright, drumroll please… Subtract the work and the zzz’s, and what glorious chunk of time are we left with?
4,125 hours!
Now, let’s get even more relatable. Divide those 4,125 hours by the 52 weeks in a year, and you’re staring down the barrel of roughly 80 hours a week that are yours.
Eighty. Freaking. Hours.
Think about that for a second. That’s like having another full-time job worth of time, except this one comes with zero mandatory meetings and a boss who (hopefully) is pretty chill – YOU!
So, the big, juicy question for us amazing humans navigating the beautiful chaos of middle life is this: What in the actual heck are we going to do with those 80 precious hours every week?
Are they slowly dissolving into endless scrolling? Getting swallowed by the “shoulds” and “have-tos” that aren’t truly lighting us up? Or are we intentionally carving out space for the things that make our hearts sing, our brains buzz, and our souls feel nourished?
This isn’t about suddenly becoming a productivity guru and optimizing every single minute. Middle life is often about finding joy in the in-between moments, rediscovering passions that got sidelined, and maybe even trying something completely new without the pressure of our younger years.
Maybe it’s finally learning that guitar riff that’s been stuck in your head for decades. Perhaps it’s volunteering for a cause that tugs at your heartstrings. Maybe it’s simply savoring a quiet cup of coffee on the porch without feeling the urge to “be doing” something else.
Those 80 hours are a blank canvas. They’re an invitation to sprinkle in more laughter, more connection, more learning, more you.
What’s one thing you’re going to consciously choose to do with just a sliver of those 80 hours this week? Share your thoughts in the comments below – let’s inspire each other to make the most of this incredible middle life adventure!