Buzz
Life is full of little irritations – from people cutting in line, to aggressive drivers, and folks talking loudly on their phones in public. This list zooms in on a specific category within that vast pool of annoyances. It highlights the top ten things that not only frustrate you but also waste your precious time, or more accurately, snatch time away from you. These time-stealers rob you of moments that you could otherwise spend on more enjoyable or productive tasks. Take a second to think about how much time you might have lost dealing with these pesky disruptions. It’s a bit shocking to realize how much of our lives are spent navigating these irritating obstacles. For these ten examples, I focused on annoyances that are either unavoidable or incredibly tough to escape. Although the list includes some of my own most hated time-wasters, I made sure to pick those that are universally irritating and wasteful. I hope you enjoy it.
10. Blow-in Cards
How much time does the average person waste picking up and tossing out the subscription cards that fall out when opening a magazine? These cards are designed to drop into your lap, but that assumes you’re sitting down and that they’ll land in the right place – not on the floor, or caught by a gust of wind or a fan. More often than not, these tiny cards end up everywhere you don’t want them – under the couch, wedged between seat cushions, on the kitchen floor, or flying down the driveway as you check the mail. These cards are usually 3”x5” and are called “blow-in” cards, because they’re blown into the magazine during production, one by one, between the pages. Sometimes, though, the machines mess up and blow in multiple cards at once, leading to your issue of *Sports Illustrated* spilling nine of these cards onto the floor when you open it. Some cards, called “bind-in” cards, are fine – they’re actually bound into the magazine and won’t fall out (they often have perforated edges so readers can tear them out). It’s the blow-in cards that are the real nuisance, wasting your time as you chase one down the street or scramble to pick it up and toss it in the trash.
How successful are blow-in cards for magazines? One magazine estimates that 12% of their new subscriptions are a result of blow-in cards (compared to just 10% from paperless internet subscriptions). Cost is another reason why blow-in cards aren't disappearing anytime soon. On average, it costs the magazine about $10 to gain a new subscriber through blow-in cards, while direct mail campaigns cost $25 or more.
9. Extension Cords and Garden Hoses
While it might be possible to live without ever using an extension cord or water hose, for most homeowners, these tools are essential. Unfortunately, both can be incredibly frustrating and end up wasting countless hours of your life. The main offenders? Kinks and tangles. No matter how carefully you wind and unwind, or what anti-snag gadgets you try, these cords and hoses always seem to get twisted, knotted, pinched, or stuck. Untangling a particularly nasty mess in either can take minutes, and sometimes, the frustration is so overwhelming that you just throw the whole thing down in defeat. There are plenty of hose reels and cord organizers out there, each promising to prevent these issues, yet they all ultimately fail to live up to expectations.
8. Tamper-Proof Packaging
Tamper-proof features are commonly found on modern packaging, and there are also tamper-evident packaging methods that make it obvious if a product has been interfered with or opened. Whether it’s seals, caps, wraps, twist-off mechanisms, hooks, anchors, twist-ties, or the infamously difficult hard-plastic clamshells used on items like children’s toys, tamper-resistant and tamper-evident packaging wastes hours of our lives. We spend countless minutes prying, cutting, twisting, shearing, punching, and manipulating these packages just to get to the product we want.
The concept of tamper-resistant packaging is relatively recent, originating after the Chicago Tylenol murders in the fall of 1982. Seven people lost their lives after consuming pain-relief capsules that had been deliberately contaminated. The Tylenol poisonings occurred when Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules were laced with potassium cyanide. This tragedy led to changes in how over-the-counter products were packaged and prompted the creation of federal anti-tampering laws. The case remains unsolved, with no suspects charged. However, this event spurred the pharmaceutical, food, and consumer goods industries to develop tamper-resistant packaging, including induction seals and better quality control procedures. Additionally, product tampering became a federal crime.
The advantages of tamper-resistant packaging are undeniable, having prevented countless injuries and fatalities since the packaging reforms were put into place. However, it’s hard to ignore the fact that today’s tamper-proof and tamper-evident packaging often wastes significant amounts of time in the average person’s life, as they struggle to open or break through these protective devices.
7. Red Lights
Red lights are a common feature that have been around nearly as long as the automobile itself, yet they remain one of the biggest time wasters. Why? Because there are alternatives to controlling traffic flow at many intersections – notably, the traffic circle or roundabout. A roundabout is a circular junction where traffic must move in a single direction around a central island. Signs typically instruct drivers entering the circle to slow down and yield to those already circulating. These modern roundabouts are designed differently from older traffic circles or rotaries, which are generally larger, allow for higher speeds, and often prioritize incoming traffic.
In countries where people drive on the right, traffic in a roundabout flows counterclockwise, whereas in countries where people drive on the left, traffic moves clockwise. Statistically, roundabouts are safer for both drivers and pedestrians than traditional intersections and older traffic circles. Since vehicles entering roundabouts must travel at lower speeds, these junctions are unsuitable for high-speed motorways. The first modern roundabout in the U.S. was built in Summerlin, Nevada, in 1990, and since then, roundabouts have become more widespread across North America.
Under many traffic conditions, unsignalized roundabouts can operate with less delay than traffic signals or all-way stop intersections (those with red lights). Unlike all-way stop intersections, roundabouts don’t require every vehicle to come to a complete stop, which reduces both individual wait times and delays caused by vehicle queues. Additionally, roundabouts can operate much more efficiently than signalized intersections since drivers can proceed when the road is clear, avoiding the delays that come with waiting for a traffic signal to change. However, roundabouts may cause delays in areas where traffic wouldn’t normally need to stop, and there are some concerns, like motorcycle safety. Still, modern roundabouts would save drivers many hours that would otherwise be spent sitting at red lights.
6. Microsoft Products
"Do you want to send this error message?" or "Sorry, but Windows needs to shut down." How often have you been in the middle of something on your PC when one of these irritating pop-ups appears, stopping you in your tracks and forcing you to wait for your computer to restart? If you're like most PC users, it happens far too often. Even worse is the dreaded 'blue screen of death,' which can appear without any warning or error message, leaving you staring at a blank blue screen. And, let's not forget how much time we've all wasted trying to recover lost work when Microsoft programs suddenly crash or freeze.
This isn't a direct criticism of Microsoft, as every computer program, operating system, and hardware has its glitches and can freeze, shut down, or lose data for unforeseen reasons. However, due to Microsoft’s dominant share in the PC and software market, they are responsible for most of the time we waste dealing with computer malfunctions. And who could forget the disaster that was Windows 98, which single-handedly wasted millions of hours of productivity until Windows XP was introduced?
5. Telemarketers
One positive development in tackling the frustrating issue of telemarketing calls is the establishment of 'do not call lists,' which have significantly reduced the volume of such calls for most individuals. While it's true that answering the phone at inconvenient times—like during dinner—has always been a hassle, the annoyance of dealing with these calls has driven people to demand action. The creation of the National Do Not Call Registry in 2003 emerged as a response to these persistent interruptions. By 2007, it was reported that over 70% of Americans had enrolled in the registry, and 77% claimed that the number of telemarketing calls they received had been dramatically reduced—from an average of 30 per month down to just 6.
Editor's Note: Canada followed suit in 2008 by introducing a similar system, though it hasn't proven as effective. Despite receiving over 300,000 complaints and imposing fines totaling $73,000, only $250 has been collected as of March 1. Unfortunately, Canadians continue to face the time-wasting nuisance of telemarketing calls.
4. Telephone Directories
How many times have we encountered those infuriating automated menu options when calling a company or even a person? The constant navigation through pre-recorded messages and push-button menus can leave anyone frustrated. Those old enough to remember a time when calling someone meant you either reached them directly or got no answer at all (and when calling a company meant speaking to a real person within the first couple of rings) are likely aware of how much the experience has deteriorated over the last few decades. While telephone directories may streamline company operations and help direct calls more efficiently, they are undeniably time-consuming and irritating for the caller. [JFrater: I hate this so much that I specifically chose my electricity and gas company because they have real humans answering the phone.]
3. Too Many Choices
Have you ever walked into a grocery store, looking for a simple box of Wheat Thins, only to find an entire aisle filled with endless varieties? You just want the original, classic Wheat Thins, but instead, you're bombarded by options like Big Wheat Thins (an oxymoron George Carlin would have appreciated), Artisan Cheese Wheat Thins, and Ranch Wheat Thins. This overwhelming selection makes the simple task of picking a snack unnecessarily complicated and time-consuming. In fact, studies suggest that when faced with too many options, shoppers often end up not buying anything at all due to frustration. Now, imagine applying this ‘choice overload’ to every other product in a grocery store. What used to take an hour to shop now stretches into half a day, simply because finding what you want becomes an exhausting quest or you’re stuck deciding among countless choices.
The so-called 'tyranny of choice' extends far beyond grocery shopping. It's present in almost every consumer decision we face. Once, there were just a few car manufacturers—GM, Ford, and American Motors—along with a handful of European and Japanese models. Today, there are hundreds of car brands and countless models to choose from. The same is true for utilities: there used to be a single provider for services like gas and electricity, but now we must choose between multiple options for each. The same goes for healthcare benefits and retirement plans, where a wide variety of choices await us. This abundance of options can be overwhelming and time-consuming. Do we really need such a vast array of choices in every area of our modern lives? While multiple options might seem like a benefit, they are, without a doubt, time-wasters.
2. Customer Support
Closely tied to telephone directories is the modern frustration of subpar (or nonexistent) customer support. When you have an issue, question, or complaint about a product or service, you pick up the phone (or email, though the outcome is typically the same). You navigate a maze of confusing menu options in the phone directory before possibly reaching an actual human. By now, you've already lost precious minutes, but the time-wasting journey is far from over. If you're lucky, the company will have a customer support team that actually 'gets it.' You'll connect with someone knowledgeable, helpful, trained, and friendly. However, more often than not, you'll be greeted by the opposite. Many companies intentionally employ customer support staff who are unhelpful, overworked, or indifferent. Whatever the cause, you're about to step into a vortex of frustrating time waste.
We all know how it goes. The customer support representative can't assist you, or they delay the process by claiming 'their computers are down.' Or, they transfer you to another representative who, after you endure more waiting, can’t help either. This leads to yet another transfer, or back to the original person. During the transfer process, you often get disconnected, and the call is lost, forcing you to start the entire ordeal over. This cycle wastes hours, days, and even weeks of your life.
1. Malware
One particularly insidious modern time-waster is the various forms of computer malware that infect and slow down your machine or your interaction with it—or both. Of course, if we simply decided to stop using computers, this issue would no longer be a concern. But in today’s tech-driven world, avoiding computers is increasingly difficult. It's estimated that at least 60% of home PCs are infected with some type of malware, and many are so compromised that they become almost unusable. Unaware and often not very tech-savvy home users waste countless hours dealing with sluggish, malware-riddled computers, and they don't even realize it. The real question is, which is worse—wasting time unknowingly, or knowing that your time is being wasted? Either way, computer malware (and the time lost dealing with it, including the time spent installing and maintaining anti-malware software) is a massive time sink.
+ Knots
How many hours have you spent in your life trying to untangle a knot in your shoes, the drawstring of a swimsuit, or some other piece of clothing? If someone could invent a device that guarantees no knots when tied, they’d undoubtedly become a household name.
