How many weeks have you lived?

A life of 85 years is about 4,430 weeks. Written down as a number it means very little. Drawn as a grid, with one dot for every week and one row for every year, it means rather a lot. Most people find the row they are currently sitting on faster than they expected to.

Sandglass draws that grid from your date of birth. It does not predict how long you will live, and it never will. You choose a horizon simply so there is something to draw.

What is the 168 hour week?

Every week contains 168 hours. Everyone gets the same number and nobody can earn more. What differs is how much of it is already promised to something before the week begins.

Sleep takes around 56 hours. A full time job with any travel attached takes another 40 to 50. Then there is the running of a life: meals, washing, shopping, admin, getting everyone out of the door. What remains after all three is usually somewhere between 40 and 60 hours, and that is the part you actually decide.

Why hours to spend rather than free time

Calling it free time is the reason the number never feels believable. Nobody experiences 72 free hours a week. Subtract the unavoidable running of a life and the figure drops to something you recognise, which is the point where the exercise stops being a novelty and starts being useful.

The comparison worth making is with money. You would not budget without knowing your income. Most people have never worked out their weekly income of hours, let alone decided where it should go.

Is this a productivity tool?

No. There are no streaks, no scores, no goals and no to do list. Sandglass does not tell you how to live and it will not tell you that you are behind. It shows you the shape of your week and asks one question: does the way you are spending your time reflect what matters to you?

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