You Just Live 5 Years for Yourself!
Recently, had been to a funeral of a man what society considers a ‘good man’ who passed away in his 60s. He built a house, was a good husband, took care of parents, helped friends. He spent most of his time making others happy’. That got me thinking, how much time do we spend on ourselves in our Lifetime.
We often think of life as a long stretch of decades. Considering average life expectancy of India Seventy years sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? But when we zoom in on where those years actually go, the reality is different. A simple calculation of daily habits, multiplied across an average lifespan, shows us just how little time is left that we can truly call our own.
The Math of a Lifetime:
Assuming that everything goes fine, we live around 72 years. Out of it ~67 years goes for activities. We are just left with 5 years. Do not believe me? Here is the math.
A Lifetime Breakdown (72 Years)
| Activity | Daily Hours | Lifetime Years |
|---|---|---|
| Sleeping | 8.0 | 24.0 |
| Watching TV | 2.0 | 6.0 |
| Eating | 1.5 | 4.5 |
| Work | 4.0 | 12.0 |
| Commuting (useful) | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| Chores | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| Personal care (non-toilet) | 0.8 | 2.4 |
| Family and Friends | 0.8 | 2.4 |
| Study | 0.05 | 0.15 |
| Exercise | 0.04 | 0.12 |
| Mobile use | 4.0 | 12.0 |
| Spare / Free time | – | 5.1 |
| Total | 22.49 | 72.0 |
What the Numbers Insights To?
- Sleep alone takes 24 years — a full one-third of life.
- Work + commuting consumes 15 years.
- Screens (TV + Mobile) steal 18 years — more than a quarter of your life.
- Family, friends, care, and eating together make ~9 years.
After all necessities, you only get around 5 years of truly free time across your entire lifetime.That’s not 5 years at once. That’s 5 years spread thinly across 72 years, just minutes a day that are actually yours.
The Hidden Truth:
The point isn’t to regret these hours. Sleep is vital, work pays the bills, eating keeps us alive. But if we aren’t careful, life’s finite hours can slip away in activities that don’t add true meaning or joy.
The only way we can have more time for ourselves by cutting your mobile and TV time. Trying to cut from other categories may mess up our existence. Stop worrying about things don’t matter. Stop worrying about what people think about you. Start to build something. Start to live life for YOU.
Why This Matters
We often say “life is short” without realizing how short our usable life really is. Most of our time gets consumed by routines, obligations, and passive consumption. This means the real wealth isn’t money, but time :
- Create something meaningful
- Learn and grow
- Take care of our body and mind
- Live fully in the present moment
The Takeaway
When you see the math, it’s clear. You don’t have 72 years of life to live as you please. You only have about 5 years. Just 60 Months! That is about 1825 days. Ask yourself, what are you spending your time on?
You Have Far Less Time Than You Think, make every moment count.
Data Sources:
Life expectancy figure is based on average Indian lifespan (72 years, World Bank/WHO estimates). Daily activity hours are approximations based on surveys, lifestyle studies, and common usage patterns to provide a relatable breakdown.
