If you ever feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day, you’re not alone. Managing work, student deadlines, and daily tasks can feel overwhelming
In this article, we’ll uncover how Americans spend time, explore the biggest time wasters at work, and delve into time management trends across age groups and the workplace. We’ll cover:
- General time management statistics
- Workplace time management trends
- Age groups and time management habits
- Students time management statistics
- Remote work and time management trends
- Commuting time for Americans
- Technology: Screen time and gadget use in the US
Let’s dive in!
Top time management statistics
- Americans spend only 40% of the workday on primary tasks.
- 16% of an average worker’s work week in the US is spent on emails, while 12% is spent on administrative tasks, 10% on useful meetings, 8% on wasteful meetings, 8% on interruptions for nonessential tasks, and 6% on miscellaneous activities.
- 82% of people lack a time management system.
- The 18% of people who have time management systems mostly rely on to-do lists and email inboxes.
- 26% of work is done outside of regular working hours.
- Remote workers work one more day a week on average, and 80% experience lost time due to technical difficulties during online/hybrid meetings.
- Among remote workers, men are 41% more likely than women to work 10+ additional hours per week.
- 47% of full-time working students say that the ability to combine different syllabi to organize deadlines would improve their time management.
- More than twice as many Gen Z (26%) and Millennial (18%) workers prefer late hours (6 pm to 3 am) compared to Gen Xers (13%) and Boomers (6%).
- Americans spend more than 6 hours online daily, with 32% on social media.
- Most young people use their phones at least once during school hours, for a median of 43 minutes.
General time management statistics
1. According to a Development Academy and Acuity Training study, only 18% have a proper time management system.
2. 82% of people don’t have a time management system. (Acuity Training).
3. According to the State of Work Report by software company Workfront, US workers say they spend only 40% of their workday on their primary tasks.
4. 58% of US workers in Workfront’s survey state that they’re so swamped with daily tasks that they don’t have time to think beyond their daily to-do list. (Workfront).
5. 33% of people rely on simple To-Do Lists to manage their time and tasks at work. (Acuity Training).
Workplace time management trends
6. The average one-way commute to work is 27 minutes. (New York Times).
7. According to a study by software company RescueTime, as reported by Forbes, workers average just 2 hours and 48 minutes of productive device time a day.
8. 12.5% of employees surveyed by the Development Academy and Acuity Training state that they never feel under control at work.
9. Administrative tasks consume 12% of an average work week. (Workfront).
10. Interruptions for nonessential tasks consume 8% of an average work week, and 6% go to miscellaneous matters. (Workfront).
11. 26% of work is done outside of regular working hours. (RescueTime).
12. 21% of working hours are spent on entertainment, news, and social media. (RescueTime).
13. 28% of workers start their day before 8:30 a.m. (RescueTime).
14. 5% of workers begin before 7 a.m. (RescueTime).
15. 40% of employees use their computers after 10 p.m. (Forbes).
Emails
16. 16% of an average worker’s work week in the US is spent on emails. (Workfront).
17. On average, workers check email and instant messaging every 6 minutes. (RescueTime).
18. 19% of people look at their emails at least once an hour. (Acuity Training).
19. Another 19.4% of people look at their emails either only once per day or less than once per day. (Acuity Training).
20. A typical employee spends 40.1% of the day multitasking with communication tools. (RescueTime).
Meetings
21. On average, people spend 91 minutes each day on tasks and meetings that aren’t important to their role. (Acuity Training).
22. The average executive spends 23 hours a week in meetings, a 14% increase compared to the data from a decade ago. (Harvard Business Review).
23. 10% of an average worker’s work week in the US is spent on useful or productive meetings, compared to 8% of wasteful meetings. (Workfront).
24. 39% of people spend less than an hour per day on tasks and meetings not important to their role. (Acuity Training).
25. 10.5% of employees spend more than 37.5% of their time on tasks and meetings not important to their role. (Acuity Training).
Time management methods for US workers
26. Only 20% of people conduct a monthly time audit to review how they spend their time. (Acuity Training).
27. 24% of people use their Email Inbox as their time and Task Management system. (Acuity Training).
28. 12% of people plan their tasks in their agenda or planner in advance. (Acuity Training).
29. 25% of people state that their time management is primarily “[dealing] with whatever seems most important at the time”. (Acuity Training)
Age groups and time management habits
30. Adobe Document Cloud fielded a global study entitled “The Future of Time” on generational differences in the workplace, showing that Baby Boomers, Millennials, and Gen Z employees differ in how they handle their time at work.
31. More than 60% of Millennial and Gen Z employees feel they should be working traditional schedules even when they know they’re not as effective. (Adobe).
Baby Boomers
32. Baby boomers are born between the years 1946 and 1964. (Trinet).
33. Baby Boomers say they spend 45% of their week on their primary job duties. (Workfront).
34. 39% of Baby Boomers say their most productive working hours are early hours, 3 am-9 am. (Adobe).
35. 74% of Baby Boomer employees say their most productive working hours are the traditional office hours, 9 am – 6 pm. (Adobe).
36. Only 6% of Baby Boomer employees say their most productive working hours are late hours, 6 pm – 3 am. (Adobe).
37. 24% of Baby Boomer employees say a lack of standard workflow processes gets in the way of their work. (Workfront).
38. 30% of Baby Boomer employees say that the primary reason their projects get delayed is that the work isn’t prioritized correctly. (Workfront).
Gen X
39. Gen X were born between 1965 and 1980 (Trinet).
40. 36% of Gen X employees say their most productive working hours are early hours, 3 am-9 am. (Adobe).
41. 76% of Gen X employees say their most productive working hours are the traditional office hours, 9 am – 6 pm. (Adobe).
42. 13% of Gen X employees say their most productive working hours are late hours, 6 pm – 3 am. (Adobe).
43. 37% of Gen X employees say that the primary reason their projects get delayed is that the work isn’t prioritized correctly. (Workfront).
Millennials
44. Millennials were born between roughly 1981 and 1994.
45. Millennials say they spend 38% of their week on their primary job duties. (Workfront).
46. 32% of Millennial employees say their most productive working hours are early hours, 3 am-9 am. (Adobe).
47. 74% of Millennial employees say their most productive working hours are the traditional office hours, 9 am – 6 pm. (Adobe).
48. 18% of Millennial employees say their most productive working hours are late hours, 6 pm – 3 am. (Adobe).
49. 42% of Millennial employees say a lack of standard workflow processes gets in the way of their work. (Workfront).
50. 39% of Millennial employees say that the primary reason their projects get delayed is that the work isn’t prioritized correctly. (Workfront).
Gen Z
51. Gen Z were born between 1995 and 2009.
52. Gen Z employees say they spend 34% of their week on their primary job duties. (Workfront).
53. 27% of Gen Z employees say their most productive working hours are early hours, 3 am-9 am. (Adobe).
54. 62% of Gen Z employees say their most productive working hours are the traditional office hours, 9 am – 6 pm. (Adobe).
55. 26% of Gen Z employees say their most productive working hours are late hours, 6 pm – 3 am. (Adobe).
Students time management statistics
56. According to Inside Higher Education’s Student Voice survey, 47% of full-time working students say that the ability to combine different syllabi to organize deadlines would improve their time management.
57. 38% of non-working students state that combining different syllabi to organize deadlines would improve their time management. (Inside Higher Ed).
58. More than a third (34%) of four-year students say they’d benefit from help planning their schedules. (Inside Higher Ed).
59. Only 26% of two-year college students indicate that they’d benefit from assistance in planning their schedules. (Inside Higher Ed).
60. 13% of students reveal that institutional help with time management would increase their participation in campus groups, clubs, and activities. (Inside Higher Ed).
61. Nearly half of students indicate balancing schoolwork and obligations is the top barrier to academic success. (Inside Higher Ed).
62. 54% of students who cite balancing schoolwork and obligations as hindrances to academic achievement state that social support or structures are the top resources that would help with time management. (Inside Higher Ed).
63. The top personal schedule-management function for students is a campus events calendar, followed by notifications and reminders about campus events, and a campus app. (Inside Higher Ed).
64. 38% of students express interest in having a personal schedule-management function in any campus app. (Inside Higher Ed).
65. According to a study published in Research in Higher Education Journal, when given a full week to complete a task, 58% of students submit it on the last day. (Clockify, Research in Higher Education Journal).
66. 76% of students who submitted their assignments early got higher scores (A or B).
Remote work and time management trends
67. According to a report by Owl Lab on remote work, employees who work from home spend 10 minutes less a day being unproductive.
68. Remote workers work one more day a week on average.
69. 80% of remote workers experience lost time due to technical difficulties during online/hybrid meetings. (Owl Labs)
70. 77% of those who work remotely at least a few times per month show increased productivity.
71. 30% of men report working two more hours per day when working at home. (Owl Labs).
72. Men are also 41% more likely than women to work 10+ additional hours per week. (Owl Labs).
73. Women report working the same number of hours as they did in the office 56% more than men. (Owl Labs).
74. 21% of women report working two more hours per day when working at home. (Owl Labs).
75. 55% of employees say they work more hours at home on average than at the office. (Owl Labs).
76. 33% say they work the same hours whether working at home or the office. (Owl Labs).
77. Only 12% say they work fewer hours than at the office. (Owl Labs).
Commuting time for Americans
78. 21% of Americans commute less than 15 minutes. (Statista)
79. 30% commute for 15 to 29 minutes. (Statista)
80. 17% commute for 30 to 59 minutes. (Statista)
81. 4% commute for 60 to 119 minutes. (Statista)
82. 1% commute for 120 minutes or more. (Statista)
83. 25% of Americans do not commute. (Statista)
Technology: Screen time and gadget use in the US
84. The average time a person spends online is 6 hours and 58 minutes. (DataReportal)
85. 91.8% of the population of the United States is online. (DataReportal).
86. 32.46% of Americans’ screen time is taken up with social media (2 hours and 16 minutes). (DataReportal).
87. Americans spend an average of 3 hours and 28 minutes on the internet via mobile phones. (Data Reportal).
88. The average time spent browsing the internet via the computer in the US is 3 hours and 31 minutes on the internet. (Data Reportal).
89. The average time spent using a game console in the US is 1 hour and 14 minutes on the internet
90. The Center for Disease Control recommends kids get at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day.
91. US teens from lower-income households (< US$35,000 per year) spend an average of 9 hours and 19 minutes every day on their screens. (Common Sense Media).
92. US teens from higher-income households ($100,000+ per year) spend 7 hours and 16 minutes per day. (Common Sense Media).
Smartphone use among youth
93. According to a survey conducted among teens and preteens in the US, approximately 16% of teens and preteens use their smartphones between three and four hours daily. (Statista)
94. A study of adolescents analyzing the smartphone data of 200 students revealed that the median daily smartphone check frequency is 51 times. (Common Sense Media).
95. Young people check their phones between 2 to 498 times a day. (Common Sense Media).
96. According to the same study, most young people used their phones at least once during school hours, for a median of 43 minutes. (Common Sense Media).
97. 59% of students used their cell phones on school nights, with a median use time of about 20 minutes per night. (Common Sense Media).
Television use
98. According to a report by Common Sense Media, young people devote a substantial amount of time to watching television each day regardless of their gender, race/ethnicity, or household income.
99. More than 35% of teens view television on smartphones, tablets, or computers. (Common Sense Media).
100. 2022 was the first year that US adults spent more time per day with their smartphones than watching TV. (Insider Intelligence).
101. Youth from higher-income households watch less frequently and for a shorter amount of time than those in lower- or middle-income households. (Common Sense Media).
102. 73% of Black young people state that they watch television every day, compared to 56% of Hispanic children, and 52% of White young people.
103. Black young people average about 2 hours and 14 minutes of watching television daily. (Common Sense Media).
104. White teens and tweens average nearly 1.5 hours of viewing television every day. (Common Sense Media)
105. Hispanic peers average about 2 hours and 4 minutes of watching television daily. (Common Sense Media).
See also: Best Time Management Courses
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Time Management Statistics FAQs
What percentage of people have a proper time management system?
Only 18% of people have a proper time management system while 82% lack a time management system according to Acuity Training and Development Academy.
How much of their workday do Americans spend on their primary tasks?
According to the State of Work Report by Workfront, US workers say they spend only 40% of their workday on their primary tasks.
How do Baby Boomers, Millennials, and Gen Z manage their time differently?
Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z have varying productive working hours. Baby Boomers spend a greater percentage of their week on their primary job duties than Gen X and Millennials do (45% vs. 38% vs. 34%).
Sources
- Adobe. The Future of Time, a global study fielded by Adobe Document Cloud
- Inside Higher Ed. Survey: Students want help with time management
- Forbes. This Work-Life Balance Study Reveals 3 Major Problems: Here’s What We Need To Ask
- New York Times. Most Americans still have to commute every day. Here’s how that experience has changed. – The New York Times.
- Harvard Business Review. Stop the Meeting Madness
- Insider Intelligence. How mobile users spend their time on their smartphones in 2023
- Workfront. The State of Work Report, U.S. Edition
- Owl Labs. State of Hybrid Work 2023 | US Report
- Owl Labs. State of Remote Work 2021
- Antelope Valley College. Time and Stress Management for Mental Nutrition
- Statista.Chart: How Long Do Americans Commute For? | Statista
- Common Sense Media. A Week in the Life of a Young Person's Smartphone Use
- Common Sense Media. Media Use by Tweens and Teens
- DataReportal. Digital 2023: Global Overview Report — DataReportal
- Clockify. Time management statistics everyone should know in 2023 – Clockify
- Meeting Fever. Time Spent In Meetings Statistics: Market Report & Data • MeetingFever
- Acuity Training. Time Management Statistics & Facts – 2024 – Acuity Training
