Hotmail has teamed up with Ladygeek TV’s Belinda Parmar and Lisa Rogers from scrapheap challenge to try and help busy people save time in their lives. New research from Windows Live Hotmail – the email service for busy people from the folks at Microsoft – reveals that us Brits want to squeeze more into our daily lives but are leaving only one hour a day to dedicate to ourselves. On average, Brits say they have eight and a half hours less free time than they did five years ago. Surprisingly, it’s not Londoners who are the most time poor. It’s the people of Norwich who only dedicate a measly 45 minutes a day on what they want to do. Who’d have thought?!
Hotmail independently researched 3,000 people in the UK to find out how they manage their time. Over 50% of Brits are in the office for a full five-day working week, yet almost half of the nation still brings work home, so employment is the biggest time guzzler. Following work, Brits spend the most time focusing on personal relationships, family and kids, exercise, organising holidays and leisure activities, only leaving one hour to spend on the all-important ‘me’ time.
With that in mind, Hotmail has kicked off a nationwide search to find the nation’s best timesaving invention.
About the competition:
Hotmail is searching the nation to find out what Brits dream about to help them save time – the time-saving device of the future. The lucky winner will be selected by a team of esteemed judges and will receive £10,000 to spend on some all-important ‘me time’. Hotmail has also enlisted a team of experts to develop a prototype of the invention. Find out more, be inspired and enter the competition at www.hotmailtimesaver.co.uk
It seems to me that this competition is crying out for a mobile solution. So if anyone out there in mobile land has the time to devote to this, then I think you’d be making a lot of people happy and maybe winning some cash and getting your invention made in the process. Or maybe you have an idea already that just needs a bit of dusting off to make it competition-fit? Either way, why not give it a go? I would love to see something innovative in this area that connects with your phone somehow. There’s already been an idea about having a Hotmail app for your phone and a fashion matcher so your wardrobe decides for you what to wear each day (now that’s potentially a mobile app) but I’m sure there are many more good ideas out there.
The competition is open to UK entrants aged over 18 only and closes at 4pm on Monday 8th November. More terms and conditions at www.hotmailtimesaver.co.uk – and don’t worry, Microsoft won’t be claiming any IP on any of the entries and they’re not looking to invest in a new business.
One thing I need is something to make my email life faster and easier to manage. Maybe I’ll have to give the new look Hotmail a go…
