Why we're making hard work of modern living

But research published this week shows the average person in the UK is cramming 300 per cent more into a day than 30 years ago and the line between work and home life is blurring.

The research, commissioned by Windows Live, compared the daily tasks and communication of people 30 years ago with today and points to a new behavioural phenomenon, known as "Life Maximization" which describes how people are attempting to pack more and more in to their work and social lives.

The "Life Maximizer Study"analysed data from 1980 and compared it to data gathered over the last few months, examining how people are managing their daily lives.

It reveals how today, people's lives are blurring as they use technology to "life-splice", working and socialising outside of the traditional time boundaries.

It found on average, we are having 500 per cent more conversations each day – on phones, by text, email, instant messenger and face to face. More than 50 per cent of those surveyed said that communications technology means they get more done than they did even five years ago and that using work time to socialise and working during leisure time is becoming an acceptable norm.

While 48 per cent of people said they are now able to condense their working day using technology to allow for more leisure time, psychologists worry that the blurring of work and leisure time has consequences.

Cary Cooper, Professor of organisational psychology and health at Lancaster University, says that while in the longer term technology will allow us to be more flexible at the moment it is increasing stress.

"Harold Wilson said in 1964 that by 2000 we would be working a 15 to 20 hour week," says Prof Cary. "But what has happened is that we are working longer and harder than ever before. Technology has made us available 24/7. People expect an immediate answer when they email or text and as a result we have electronic overload.

"Technology is great but we have to make sure that we manage the technology rather than the technology managing us. As a result, people's health is at risk, as is family life."