# How much extra time would change your life - and how **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 9, 2026, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-extra-time-would-change-your-life-and-how/1029140 "2026-04-09T06:59:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-extra-time-would-change-your-life-and-how/1029140/1 "2026-04-09T06:59:58Z")
The current thread about money [here](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-your-utility-curve-how-much-money-would-change-your-life/1028432) is about getting extra money. Some of us, especially old somes of us, need time more than money. I’m not talking years of life, I’m talking hours in the day. Maybe it is from not having to sleep, maybe it is from magic. We can take post in the Dope more as a given. For me it would be catching up on my many, many unread books and undone puzzles. My volunteer stuff, which I keep up with since it affects other people, wouldn’t eat up as much of my time. But I’m boring, and retired. What about you? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-extra-time-would-change-your-life-and-how/1029140/2 "2026-04-09T07:21:34Z")
Tidying the home, exercising, sleeping more (I often get only 3-4 hours of sleep per night, although that’s technically more from insomnia than lack of time itself,) laundry, cooking, free time on the Internet, just more of everything I have now. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-extra-time-would-change-your-life-and-how/1029140/3 "2026-04-09T09:03:43Z")
Recently retired, so time I have. Presently looking into moving to a location with better climate, more sunny days and a larger choice of activities. Keeping active all day is my goal, not just an hour or two at the gym a couple of days a week. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-extra-time-would-change-your-life-and-how/1029140/4 "2026-04-09T10:41:21Z")
I’ve been retired long enough that the novelty has worn off that change. Frankly I misuse too much of the time I already have. I’d wave the OP’s magic wand in the direction of having more motivation to do more in each day. As a separate matter, more years of decent health and vigor so I could continue to misuse each day as I do without quite as much harm to my total lifetime worthwhile experiences would be nice. Yep, that’s it: the lazy man’s way out of my dilemma. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-extra-time-would-change-your-life-and-how/1029140/5 "2026-04-09T14:52:47Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Frankly I misuse too much of the time I already have. I’d wave the OP’s magic wand in the direction of having more motivation to do more in each day. Thats my view. I’d rather find a way to motivate myself to use my time more productively than having more time. However not needing to sleep would be nice. But I wouldn’t do anything productive with the extra time. I have endless books I know I should read and never will. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-extra-time-would-change-your-life-and-how/1029140/6 "2026-04-09T16:21:53Z")
I find that banishing “should” from my self-talk vocabulary does wonders. As Yoda didn’t quite say: > Do or do not as you will. There is no should. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-extra-time-would-change-your-life-and-how/1029140/7 "2026-04-09T18:58:38Z")
I don’t have enough time in my day to practice guitar, complete my art projects or take nature hikes- not to mention going to the gym. Extra time would greatly enhance my life. Or I could retire… ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2026, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-extra-time-would-change-your-life-and-how/1029140/8 "2026-04-09T19:11:01Z")
When we retired to Portland, I was able to set up a woodworking shop and take classes in how to make cool stuff. We also took classes in glass-making (not blowing) and made some cool plates and the like. We volunteered at Meals on Wheels and took many RV trips down the coast, to the interior, and two month-long trips to the American Southwest. Now we’re in an apartment and do very little with our time, which is not ideal. We had plans to rent an RV, but then adopted a cat who distrusts strangers, so leaving her here with someone is a non-starter, and she’s too old to be bouncing around in an RV. I do exercise more, however. Happily for us, we traveled in our working life. A LOT. So that bug is not a part of our retired life, and truthfully, you couldn’t drag me onto a plane these days. Perhaps we’ll reengage with the RV notion when this cat is gone. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2026, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-extra-time-would-change-your-life-and-how/1029140/9 "2026-04-10T15:59:51Z")
I’d say having a 30 hour day would pretty much alleviate all my time crunch issues. I could get another couple hours a sleep per night, have at least one leisurely meal a day, have an extra hour or so to work out in the evenings, and another hour or so to just chill out. All while doing the usual stuff I already do. Any extra time would be welcome. My fear would be that my stuff to do would just expand to fill the extra time.