We hear it all the time: there aren't enough hours in the day! But what are we really doing with the hours we have? Let's take a look.

Spring has sprung and summer is right around the corner! New school sports and activities are starting, school years are heading into the home stretch, and we can finally do things outside again (this might be more of an issue if you live in a snowy state, like me). But with all of these things we CAN do, how do we fill our time with what we SHOULD do? Of course, the answer isn't going to be the same for every person, so it can help to see what other people in your same situation are doing with their time at any given moment. To that point, this interactive from Flowing Data allows students to see what activities the typical 15-24 year old is doing at a specific time. The students are able to choose three variables: time of day, gender, and age. They can toggle the time of day to see how activities will vary throughout the day. Here's an example: 

Questions:

• Select "right now" in the time field. How does what you're doing compare with what most other people are doing right at this moment?
• What trends do you notice about the most common activities being performed during different hours of the day? Example: What is the most common activity during morning hours? Afternoon? Evening?
• Map out your typical 24 hour day (school day) and identify the activities that you are doing for the entire 24 hour period. 
• Compare your day with the typical 15-24 year old in this interactive. How is your life similar? How is it different? 
• In terms of what you're doing with your time, how might your life be different 5 years from now? How about 10 years? 20 years?
• Why do you think there is so much variance (so many different activities at a given time) for 15-24 year olds? 

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Looking for more interactives? Be sure to check out the NGPF Interactive Library. 

About the Author

Ryan Wood

Ryan is the Partnerships and Adoption Manager for Next Gen Personal Finance’s midwest region. He brings his experience as a former teacher, curriculum designer, and sales and marketing professional to state organizations and school districts in supporting the implementation of their personal financial education efforts. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and earned his teaching credential from Saint Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota. He proudly taught at two rural high schools in Wisconsin before transitioning to curriculum design at NGPF, and is now excited to be on the front lines in delivering the best possible financial education in the midwest. He and his wife have three beautiful daughters, each of which inspire him to share the impact of being sound financial stewards both at home and as lifelong learners.