We go on Twitter mostly for fun but there are times when we’re hit with the sobering reality that makes us pause scrolling and reflect on ourselves. There’s currently a viral Twitter thread going around referencing a study from The American Time Use Survey and Our World in Data about who we spend time with across our lives. “The insights are simultaneously inspiring and depressing,” said the original poster Sahil Bloom. Here is what he found out:

Time spent with parents and siblings

Time Spent With Parents & Siblings

Peaks in childhood and declines after age 20.

Key Takeaways:
• Time with family is limited.
• Time with parents declines sharply after age 20.
• You may only see your loved ones a few more times.

Prioritize and cherish every moment. pic.twitter.com/X7CczuA8PD

— Sahil Bloom (@SahilBloom) November 12, 2022

According to the study, we spend most of our time with parents and siblings during our adolescent years. Once we turn 20, that declines. But keep in mind that this is a study conducted in the West. Filipinos are known for our close family ties — most of us still live with our parents even in our 30s. But even then, we don’t spend as much time with them as we did when we were kids. Jobs, friends, and other priorities have cut that time short whether we admit it or not.

Bloom’s takeaways are to prioritize and cherish every moment with your parents and siblings.

Time spent with friends

Time Spent With Friends

Peaks at age 18 and declines sharply to a low baseline.

Key Takeaways:
• Embrace friendship breadth, but focus on depth.
• Cherish those who are with you through good times and bad.

Invest your energy in the healthy, meaningful friendships that last. pic.twitter.com/dUy0Pnp4D0

— Sahil Bloom (@SahilBloom) November 12, 2022

The data shows that in our latter teenage years, we spend more time with our friends but this slowly declines as we enter our 20s, 30s, and 40s. A 2016 study by scientists from Aalto University in Finland and the University of Oxford in England even found that as you enter your mid-20s, your social circle shrinks.

Have you noticed that? Have you ever found it difficult to schedule get-togethers with your high school friends? It’s only natural that as you grow older you lose friends so for Bloom, his takeaway is to “invest in healthy and meaningful friendships that last.”

Time spent with your partner

Time Spent With Partner

Trends upwards until death.

Key Takeaways:
• Who you choose as a partner is the most important decision you’ll ever make.
• Find someone you genuinely enjoy spending time with.

Never settle for less than love. pic.twitter.com/gSs3voTNsk

— Sahil Bloom (@SahilBloom) November 12, 2022

If you’re lucky enough to have met your lifetime partner in your teenage years, you’ll be spending a huge chunk of your time — a.k.a. the rest of your life — with them. The data shows that time spent “trends upwards until death.” Choosing a partner is one of the most important decisions you’ll make in life. So follow Bloom’s advice: “Find someone you genuinely enjoy spending time with and never settle for less than love.”

Time spent with children

Time Spent With Children

Peaks in your 30s and declines sharply thereafter.

Key Lessons:
• Time with your children is short—the “Magic Years” will fly by if you let them.
• Be present in every moment.

Slow down and embrace the sweetness that children bring to your life. pic.twitter.com/Rv4GjxHWIl

— Sahil Bloom (@SahilBloom) November 12, 2022

Some of us might not be in this life stage yet and some might never want to have children but those who do, cherish the childhood years. There’s a sharp peak and an equally sharp decline in time spent with children as they grow older. You were a kid once, you know the thrill of being independent of your parents. If you are a parent yourself, make sure you’re present in your kid’s every moment because it will not last.

Time spent with coworkers

Time Spent With Coworkers

Steady during the prime working years from age 20-60.

Key Lessons:
• You’ll spend a lot of time at work.
• Who you choose to work with is one of the most important decisions you’ll make.

Find work—and coworkers—that create energy in your life. pic.twitter.com/CKhDl6bENe

— Sahil Bloom (@SahilBloom) November 12, 2022

When it comes to spending time with coworkers, the data shows similarities with time spent with your partner. You spend a huge chunk of your time at work. Technically, if you started working in your early 20s, that’s easily four decades of working before you retire at 65.

Bloom’s key takeaways are to “find work — and coworkers — that create energy in your life.” Four decades in an industry you hate is just going to slowly kill you.

And finally, time spent alone

Time Spent Alone

Steadily increases throughout your life.

Key Lessons:
• Learn to embrace solitude.
• Flex your boredom muscle regularly.

Find happiness and joy in the time you have to yourself—there will be a whole lot of it as you get older. pic.twitter.com/L8bePfZHCC

— Sahil Bloom (@SahilBloom) November 12, 2022

As much as it’s important to build interpersonal connections, it’s also important to spend time with yourself. If there’s one person you’ll spend 100% of your time with it’s going to be yourself so learn to know your likes and dislikes. The data showed that as you grow older, you spend more time being alone. Introverts would rejoice and extroverts would probably realize how true this is as the years go by.

Statistically speaking, we only have about 80 years on Earth — if we’re granted the chance to live our lives to the fullest. Our time is one of the most precious things we’ve been given to manage and how we fill it is going to have a ripple effect throughout our lives. Learn to prioritize the important people in your life and cultivate deep relationships with them. Find out which aspects of life is worth spending time in — is it endless hours on video games, working on a job you hate, or feuding with family? Once you realize that life is indeed short, you’ll learn to allocate your time to important things.

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