What percentage of your free time do you need to spend alone?

[Pale Blue Dot]

For some reason, I need to spend a lot of time by myself. It may have to do with my job in retail, where I have to be "on" and "happy" for 50 hours a week.

This need of mine causes problems with my wife and son, who are both 0% people. So it got me to wondering if I am abnormal in the amount of private time I need.

For the purposes of this poll, I consider time spent on DU as time spent alone, since you can walk away at any time with no hurt feelings.

[Kolesar]

1. Yeah, why is that woman talking to me now

She has been talking to me all day. When is she going to quit? Maybe I will go to bed to get away from it. :evilgrin:

[Pale Blue Dot]

2. Does she stay quiet until you start to read something interesting?

Or does she take a nap at 10 o'clock at night, so that she'll be awake and ready to talk at midnight, when you're ready to go to bed?

Don't get me wrong, I love her, but sheesh! :-)

[Kolesar]

3. Comes in and talks while I am typing a reply in the Lounge

Don't get me wrong--I'm happy

[rbnyc]

4. Alone time is very important to me.

It's also very important to my husband which is great because we can get away from each other without making the other person feel insecure. I spend about 40% of my free time alone, 40% with my husband, and 10% with my other friends.

[flama]

8. And the other 10%?

You probably spend it commuting. ;-)

Ma

:loveya:

(Sorry I didn't help you more with math when you were a kid. ;-))

[dweller]

5. i chose 90%

and :wtf: now it's getting kinda crowded in here too...

dp

[AlFrankenFan]

6. 90 %

I really need time alone.

[ProudGerman]

7. I've had enough alone time

I'm ready to be pestered for the rest of my life.

I need a needy woman, heh.

[Zuni]

9. I need a lot of time alone

I am a compulsive reader, and although i have an active social life, I am perfectly happy sitting alone in my apartment reading.

[Selwynn]

10. uh other - its 90%, but I don't like it.

[flama]

11. I'd like 90%

But I'd settle for 50% or even 40. Of course, I'm not quite sure what free time is. Is that when you're not working at a paying job? Is it just when you're not working? Oh, I'm so confused. :crazy:

I'm on OK person to be alone with. My dog and my larger half both agree. Too bad they both have to keep telling me that. The dog says it much better than the person does. He's quieter and doesn't derail my train of thought. (Hmmm. The dog would be a Democrat if he could - and the person isn't though he can. Think that has anything to do with it?)

[Susang]

12. I chose 70%

Mainly because that's what I'd like to have. I only get about 10% now since I switched jobs and the holidays took over my life. My hubby's a real home-body and doesn't like to go out all by himself that much, so we spend a lot of time together.

I'm also in retail now, and formerly was in food service, so I know what you mean about being "on" all the time. I think it's harder for people who do not work in those fields to understand how draining it is having to be performing constantly like we do. I feel like I never get enough alone time while my hubby seems content with the amount he gets. It can be a delicate situation, since I would never want him to think I was trying to get rid of him.

BTW, have you read that book about "Highly Sensitive" people? It's a little fuzzy bunny, but it does explain a lot about people who need more alone time than is considered usual.

[NoPasaran]

13. What? No 100%

As long as I can be with me we get along fine.

[pmbryant]

14. I voted for 50%

I don't get that much of my free time alone, because my partner doesn't like to be alone anywhere near that much herself, but I think I function best at around that level.

--Peter

[Skittles]

15. right now, 90%

ideally I think it would be, oh, 60%. And I do like to SLEEP alone. I don't want to hear someone else even BREATHING.

[fortyfeetunder]

16. Just because I want it doesn't mean I get it.

Oh well, Calgon here I come!!!!

[brook]

17. I've always...

needed a lot of alone time, even as a youngster. I still work with people...still have to do that *performance*. Hate it. Just got home from work. Drained dry. If I never saw one of those people again, it'd be fine with me. TGIF, I guess.