Have you ever considered how much time you have in your whole life, and how much time you've spent on various activities? Suppose you graduated from college at the age of 22, and in the course of your life expect to work about 48 years, bringing you to age 70. Over those 48 years, how much time would you guess you've spent on routine activities such as working, sleeping, watching television, recreating, eating, and commuting?

Here's the typical breakdown, based on various demographic studies and my own calculations:

• Working 16 years

• Sleeping 15 years

• Viewing TV 5–7 years

• Recreation 2–4 years

• Eating 3 years

• Commuting 2 years

Based on researcher's findings, the average American will spend 3,571 hours in the course of a year watching television, listening to the radio, reading newspapers, or being online. Since there are only 365 days in the typical year, that means the above activities consume a little less than 10 hours per day!

It's amazing when you look at the cumulative total of the time you'll spend engaged in these activities during your productive work life. Suppose that you're already 30-something and on average will live another 45 years. Thus, you have about 30 waking years left, and about 20 years to accomplish whatever you're seeking to accomplish. That realization alone may help you focus your time.

If you don't expect to reach age 80, think again. The Society of Actuaries estimates that if you're female and you're 40 years old, your life expectancy exceeds age 85, for males age 80.

On average, most people are likely to live longer than they think they will. The realization that you may live much longer than you think necessitates developing some longer-term perspectives about how you want to spend your life.