We're Wasting More Time—But Wait, We're Also Working Harder

When I see something like this New York Times article, I'm always left in amazement.

The article, which is on wasting time at work, cites various experts, one of whom posits that the average American worker actually only work 1.5 hours a day. The average full-time worker doesn’t even start doing real work until 11:00 a.m.,” he writes, “and begins to wind down around 3:30 p.m.”

Seriously?

On the flipside, though, the article also refers to a study that found that "almost half of the small-business managers in the United States work during time meant for family, while 49 percent make business calls and check e-mail messages while behind the wheel; 18 percent read e-mail messages in the bathroom" and another that found that the average workweek for people at the top (that's you small-business owners) currently exceeds 70 hours.

The article says that we may be wasting more time because we are working harder. Everybody needs breaks, and if you're planning on burning the midnight oil, why not take a short break at 11 a.m., and another at 2 p.m, and another 4 p.m. No big deal, the article says. They're respites, that's all, and we need them to work most effectively.