How long have you spent ‘killing time’?

The average Brit spends the equivalent of more than two years ‘killing time’, a study has found.

Researchers have found that we waste 42 minutes every day waiting for various things, including friends or a bus.

Standing in a queue at the supermarket or sitting in traffic also leave us doing nothing for around five hours a week, which adds up to almost 11 days a year.

In a typical week, we waste 12 minutes waiting for the kettle to boil and eight minutes standing by the microwave waiting for our food to be ready.

“We all like to think we are living the most productive and proactive lives we can, but downtime is often an inevitability even in the busiest of schedules,” said Greg Tatton-Brown from online casino Casumo.com, who commissioned the study.

“When you have time to yourself, it’s worth trying to change how you feel about this perceived downtime and turn those fleeting moments into an opportunity, whether you use it for self-reflection, catching up on social media or just to seek entertainment and play your favourite mobile game.”

A survey of almost 2,000 adults also found 63 per cent thought that they could try and use their time more effectively.

For example, one in seven revealed they would load up a game on their phone to take up some time, while 16 per cent send messages to friends and family.