Britons use their lawnmowers for an average of 4 hours every year. (since it rains for 364 days of the year, this is not surprising).  Power drills are used for an average of 20 minutes throughout their entire life.  (Sunday Telegraph).

What the Sunday Telegraph does not tell us is how long it takes to pore over the instruction manual to work out how to use lawn mowers and power drills in the first place.  There is a baffling range of “features” with every gizmo, most of which are never used, or are so complicated you give up.  The real picture is probably something like this:

Time spent p.a on mowing the lawn:  4 hours per annum.

Time spent on learning how to turn on the lawnmower:  12 hours

Time spent trying to remember how to use the lawnmower the next year:  12 hours.

Time spent learning how to use the power drill to begin with:  4hours

Time spent remembering how to use it the following year:   4 hours

How modern technology eats up our time!  Epicurus preferred conversation, a good but modest meal, friends and smelling the roses.  He was on to something!