Spell It: Use the 5-hour rule to gain time in your hectic week

We all have the same number of hours in the day – but while some of us seem to have more free time, others are always in a time crunch. Could there be something we’re missing?

Click start to play today’s Spell It, where we ‘hitch’ our wagon to a time management technique that’s used by successful people all around the world.

According to a June 2022 report in the US-based multimedia website Big Think, ‘the 5-hour rule’ of how we spend our time can be the difference between success and mediocrity. Let’s break it down. Our day comprises 24 hours, and the average person sleeps for eight of them, which leaves 16 waking hours. Of those hours, eight may be spent at work, which means we have nine hours left.

Much of that time is taken up by tasks that can’t be avoided – like shopping, housework, eating and drinking. Even within these tasks, there may be a difference depending on where you’re from, or what gender you belong to. For instance, Our World in Data statistics from 2020 found that people who live in France, Greece, Italy and Spain spend more time eating than people in other parts of Europe. And according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), women spend more time – 2 to 10 times more – on unpaid care work than men. In Portugal and India, for instance, men have 50 per cent more leisure time than women, as a result of the disparity in caretaking.

Even so, we’re all left with a few hours a day to do what we want. For many of us, that time is usually completely wasted away. A February 2021 survey by Statista found that nearly half of 2,028 respondents in the US spent an average of five to six hours on their phone on a daily basis, for non-work-related use.

That doesn’t do anything for our cognitive development, mental well-being or physical health. This is where the 5-hour rule comes in. According to Big Think, this rule states that you should spend one hour a day learning, reflecting and thinking. When you do it five times a week, it makes up the 5-hour rule. This philosophy dates back to one of the founders of the US, Benjamin Franklin, who would devote at least an hour a day to learn something new. Today, successful entrepreneurs like Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey all practice some form of the 5-hour rule.

If it seems daunting, here are a few ways to get started on making the 5-hour rule part of your day:

1. Learn however you can

If you don’t enjoy reading books, there are many other ways you can acquire information. From podcasts to audiobooks, to enlightening long-form articles on the internet, choose what works best for you.

2. Experiment

Don’t worry about failure. The point is not to cram our heads with facts but to keep trying, even if we fail along the way. When we try something new or do things differently, we are able to both learn and enjoy ourselves while doing so.

3. Reflect

Each time we fail, though, it’s worth reflecting on why it happened and what we could do better the next time. Irish novelist Samuel Beckett once said: “Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” By journaling, talking things over with a supportive family member or friend, or by simply ruminating, we can turn failures into learning experiences.

What do you think of the 5-hour rule? Play today’s Spell It and tell us at games@gulfnews.com.