Social science researchers from The University of British Columbia in Canada used machine-learning methods (that's AI to me and you) to analyse data collected by the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) conducted by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The ATUS survey seeks to measure the amount of time that Americans spent on a 100 different types of activities including such as paid work, child care, exercising, volunteering, and playing on a phone.
The Canadian researchers were interested in what made a "better than typical" day for Americans, in other words, a possible perfect day. An American's perfect day is spending six hours on paid work, six hours family time, two hours with friends, two hours exercising, one-and-a-half hours socialising (presumably not with family and friends), one hour for eating and drinking, and no more than 30 minutes commuting to and from work.
That just leaves at most five hours for sleep, not counting time spent on scrolling a phone, messing about on a computer or watching television. And no time was allowed for sex unless it's a sneaky wham-bam sex for a few minutes before falling asleep!
What's your perfect day?
My perfect day would be no hours on paid work while being paid handsomely for doing no work. I'm happy to largely forgo family time, especially if it involves my stepson, for more time with friends, eating and drinking, reading a newspaper, doing crosswords and especially sleeping. Oh, and time drinking wine and eating a curry with a sex party thrown in!
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Only five days to go!
Almost perfect day:
Wake up and throw my leg over whomever is in my bed, which then begins the not too early morning on a more than positive note, because we all know what’s going to happen next once you throw your leg over someone.
“someone” then brings me coffee in bed, kisses me softly and leaves me alone for 20 minutes so I can write.
Walk outside, where it’s sunny and warm, and sit and listen to the birds and squirrels, and watch the fish jump and feel the heat on my body, and read the news for a bit while I finish my second (or third, or 12th) cup of coffee.
Call or text my friends, talk for a bit, while “someone “is making me brunch. Which will include a drink. With really good liquor. Sit and have brunch with “someone “, attempt to clear the table, but when bending over to grab the salt and pepper, other things happen instead.
Work remotely for about two hours. Get paid for working for eight.
Go grocery shopping. I know… It sounds weird, but I really like grocery shopping.
Come home and make a luscious dinner. Have a drink with good liquor while making that luscious dinner, then sit down with a luscious someone and have a fabulous dinner with amazing conversation, genuine laughter, and wonderful curiosity.
Answer the door, welcome in a group of friends, and spend the evening together. Doing whatever we feel like doing, and that’s a lot of possibilities.
Check my phone for text messages, emails, voicemail, and ignore them all.
Throw my leg over someone and go back to bed, hoping to do it all over again tomorrow.
(And at no point, you might notice, did “ exercise for two hours” even cross my mind. Unless you consider what we did after I bent over the table “exercise”. If so, then I’m up for adding two hours of that to a perfect day)
Your days sounds idyllic. I think bending over a table is the best exercise!
I've had a lot of perfect days and they were all different... the only common denominator was how I felt about myself. There were similarities like waking up from a good sleep when I was ready to wake up. Being able to lounge in bed reading before getting up. Minimal creaks and pops out of ye olde joints. Having something tasty to eat and a good coffee. After that, the day was bound to be on it's way to perfect if I was feeling mint. Some days were, others were just ok.
Like you, I've had a lot of very different 'perfect' days.
People tend to lie a lot, really a lot, in surveys, even when they’re anonymous: it's a basic psychological fact. Plus, we all deceive ourselves quite a bit. That survey and study you mentioned is a perfect example of that… two hours of exercise a day? Come on!
And only five hours of sleep? Seriously? 
Still, it's interesting! 
I suspect there was quite of lying going on in that survey unless the respondents can get by on so little sleep!
@CarpeJamie there is a time for work, and also time for fun 😀 life is not just money, money, money…
Hummm, let's see...perfect day...
1 hour tending garden, harvesting all the fruits of my labor
1 hour reading
2 hours eating
2 hours on computer/phone social media/email/etc.
2 hours playing with S
2 hours photography (taking or editing)
3 hours hanging out at the pool / or 3 hours at the gym
3 hours socializing/free time
8 hours sleeping
Sounds like a great day.
My perfect days were on cycling days with friends somewhere new. We may take 6 hours from start to finish, but that time includes cycling, stopping for a meal, coffee, photo ops or no reason other than to enjoy where we are. Then a nice meal with the group and hanging out afterwards. One of these days was when we left Moab, Utah on our way to Colorado. We passed into Bedrock, Colorado, where we met the colorful owner (not Fred Flintstone) of the general store. This store was the only thing around for miles. I imagine he didn't see many people pass through every day, but was very happy to spend time with our group. He had a Brooklyn accent and I swear he was in the Witness Protection program. It was a perfect place for him to disappear. And, of course, the scenery of the red rock canyons in the area.
Your cycling trips sound fantastic.
I don't know where to begin, but definitely, pickleball and sexual titillation would be a big part of it.
I thought sexual titillation would feature in your perfect day, as it would in mine!
A perfect day would be summertime, snorkeling in the morning, getting fresh veggies at veggie stands, stopping by the ice cream shop, get home, shower followed by a nap, and lounging around for the rest of the day
There's no sex in your perfect day!
@spunkycumfun
Sex is a nice to have thing but not a must have
@JN63JPN I can understanding your thinking.
I would love to be paid well for thinking thoughts. Time for my hobbies. I need an hour for exercise. Then generous time for food prep and consumption.
I too would love to be paid handsomely for thinking!
Camping with friends
If the tents were replaced by hotels, I'd join you!
A perfect day starts with waking up from a good night's sleep. It will then have a mix of leisure time, activity time, conversation, companionship, laughter, food and sex. Perfection varies with the mood of the day but it never watches the clock.
I hate being a prisoner of a clock.
The perfect day would be for me to have my family all together celebrating something special with everyone enjoying themselves.
I hope you enjoy a very Happy and Blessed Easter weekend..🙂
Your family day sounds perfect.