Time poor, option rich

This week, Woolworths confirmed it had changed the layout in about 10% of its stores to put ready-made meals within easy reach of the entrance.

The move, according to retail expert Gary Mortimer, was about “where society [is] going”, particularly the fact we’re all time poor.

This feels right. We are time poor. It’s now a feature, not a bug, of modern life.

Google introduced their new AI-powered video tools as a boon for time-poor marketers. The tools are so good, those marketers may soon have a lot of time on their hands. Chilean wine major Viña Concha y Toro launched a wine range targeting time-poor adults in the UK, which is an interesting new way of positioning binge drinking.

The problem is that we’re often time poor because we choose to be. Sure, sometimes there are kids, or deadlines, or a to do list that just won’t shrink. But often, our own choices make us feel like time is limited.

This is the paradox of the surfeit of options we now enjoy. We have more choices than ever before, but the rush to decide and then try it all limits our ability to enjoy any of it. 

Perhaps we can all learn from the marvel of constraints. It might help avoid yet another microwave meal, at least.