Being active, engaged and successful is not an easy task. From the moment we open our eyes, until we fall asleep exhausted at night, we seem to confront a never-ending list of urgent tasks: taking out the trash, preparing lunch for our family, rushing to business meetings, checking our email on the fly.
And even when we should be relaxing, we are not. As true representatives of multitasking society we are watching a movie and thinking about what we have left unfinished at work; getting our nails done and nervously tapping our feet, in a constant hurry by default. Ironically, it’s precisely this downtime – most often called ME time – that helps us recharge and face all our responsibilities.
As .ME crew is made of experienced professionals who know all about the challenges of achieving work/life balance, we came to an idea of starting a ME Day movement – a day when we will make time to celebrate our achievements, embrace our uniqueness and put ourselves first. With that in mind, we conducted an informal ME Day Survey that included 753 respondents from the USA. We wanted to see how much time people devote to themselves, to ensure their physical, mental and spiritual well-being!
6. In an effort to see how much time people devote to themselves
– to ensure their physical, mental and spiritual well-being – we
conducted a survey that included 753 American respondents.
12. How would you describe your current sense
of work/life balance?
I am a master
juggler!
I sometimes
drop one or two
things, but am
mostly on top
of things
I find myself
balanced at
times, and
during other
times – not so
much…
Please help! There’s such a
thing as
work/life
balance? One
always takes
over the other!
13. Which of the following best describes your feelings of
stress (if any) around finding a work/home life balance?
At times, I want
to tear my hair
out!
My lack of
balance is
giving me more
wrinkles than I
should have at
my age.
Some days are
insane and
others are low
key.
There’s the
occasional day
with stress, but
it’s rare.
I am almost never
stressed! If this
were a cartoon,
little birds would
be singing around
my head, helping
me get dressed.
14. Who feels the most stressed?
Parents
Very stressful
16.67%
Slightly
stressful
24.88%
Not at
all
stress
ful
0.94%
Not very
stressful
14.32%
Somewhat
in
between
43.19%
Not at all
stressful
2.14%
Very stressful
11.31%
Slightly
stressful
23.85%
Not very
stressful
17.43%
Somewhat
in
between
45.26%
Non-Parents
15. If you could take a day all for yourself – a ME Day
that would be dedicated to doing what you love –
what would you do?
Get
some
sleep
6.20%
16. But a perfect ME day differs
for men and women!
Women – Enjoy a spa treatment
43.86%
Men – Take a day off from the world
38.80%
17. Thinking back over the past year, how often did you
take a day devoted to ME, a ME day?
Once a week Once or twice
a month
Every three or
four months
Once or
twice a year
Never
18. The group that feels most stressed never
takes a day for themselves!
Never
25.59%
Once a week
3.99%
Once or twice a
month
14.32%
Once or twice
a year
36.15%
Every three or
four months
19.95%
Every three or
four months
23.55%
Once or twice a
year
22.63%
Never
8.56%
Once a week
9.17%
Once or
twice a
month
36.09%
Parents Non-Parents
19. What stopped you from taking a ME day
more often?*
*This question was answered by respondents that took a ME day every three months or less
(69.98%).
Guilt – I feel
like I am being
selfish
There simply
isn’t the time
in my life!
Fear of missing
out
Other (please
specify)
20. When it comes to “Other” reasons, the
most frequently mentioned words are:
No
Vacation
Days
3.49%
Family
3.49%
21. There are holidays celebrating love, holidays
celebrating mothers. What do you think about a
holiday that celebrates ME? Would you get
excited about that?
Heck yeah!
I am so-so
on that one.
No.
22. That is why we will initiate what we hope to become a global movement – a ME Day!
Like any hero, you deserve a day when your achievements will be celebrated,
uniqueness embraced and wishes fulfilled. And you are a hero - every time you take
care of your family, contribute to your community and follow your dreams!
23. Join us in raising awareness about importance of self-appreciation,
celebrating our successes and taking care of ourselves by
spending quality ME time on March 16,
and tweeting about it with #MEday hashtag!
24. Survey Methodology
Research findings are based on a survey fielded in the United States
between February 2 and February 9, 2015. The survey included answers
from 753 respondents. Survey was distributed and promoted on social
media by .ME Registry, and 428 responses were collected. Additional
300 responses were collected with the help of SurveyMonkey’s
Targeted Audience (choosing individuals between the ages of 24 and 55
who have a 4 year college degree).
For more information about the survey methodology, don’t hesitate to
contact us at info [ at ] domain.me