Every day on his way home to Lawrence from work in Topeka, Jeremy Anderson calls his wife on the cell phone.
In those few moments they discuss their day, tasks that need to be done and their children.
Jeremy and Cherise Anderson � who have two children, Caden, 1 1/2, and newborn Makenna � say their talks snatched during the commutes are all the time they have for quality conversation.
For thousands of Americans such as the Andersons, the 24 hours in each day seem several hours too few.
"We live such a fast-paced lifestyle," Jeremy Anderson, 28, said. "Sometimes we don't feel like we have much control."
Time has quickened lifestyles in the Western culture since Dutch scientist Christian Huygens invented the pendulum clock in 1656, making timekeeping less expensive and more precise. Now, virtually every American carries a timepiece and is governed by schedules, calendars and other time-keeping devices. For many it seems time has been divided and subdivided out of existence.
"It's sad that people don't have time anymore," said Dan Stevenson, associate professor of religious studies at Kansas University. "Everything is just so rushed. We have this great preoccupation with measuring time to understand the order of existence, and it produces stress."
Stevenson specializes in East Asian religions and has studied Buddhist and Confucian concepts of time.
"Western thought teaches that there is an absolute beginning and end, and that forces people to try to maximize the limitations of time," Stevenson said.
Eastern cultures, especially those that allow for reincarnation, aren't as time-driven as those in the West, he said.
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"I love what I do," said Jeremy Anderson, a lobbyist for state Insurance Commissioner Kathleen Sebelius. "I just wish I had more time."
It's a common desire.
Trena and Darren Rausch of Lawrence haven't been out alone together in six months. They're a young couple in a happy marriage, but their once whimsical life has blasted into overdrive since they had children.
"It started to get really rushed the moment we had kids," Trena Rausch said.
With Liam, 2, and Onna, 5 months, came a long list of additional responsibilities.
"Kids, house, yard, jobs, animals," Darren Rausch said. And the list goes on.
Darren, 35, works as a veterinarian at Oxford Animal Hospital in Overland Park while Trena, 35, is a speech pathologist at Lawrence Memorial Hospital.
The Rausches say they love their work, their family, their pets and their home. They just don't have enough time for everything they'd like to do � and that means something must go.
The Rausches and the Andersons sleep fewer than the recommended eight hours per night. Like many overly occupied Americans, they crave naps and quiet time.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, Americans are getting 20 percent less sleep than a century ago.
"I give up sleep, but it's not for my time � it's for family time," Trena Rausch said. "We're lucky if we get six hours (of) sleep. I look forward to sleep. Isn't that sick?"
"I feel so exhausted sometimes," said Cherise Anderson, 26, who is on maternity leave from her job at Kaw Valley Center. "I really look forward to naps. I take them whenever I get the chance."
But even with more time, sleep might still fall by the wayside.
"I think I just need more hours in the day, not necessarily more sleep," Jeremy Anderson said. "I get six to seven hours of sleep now."
Demands such as jobs, mortgages and household maintenance all eat into time with family or friends.
"When you get married, it's amazing how your debt expands," Trena Rausch said. "The doors right here were as old as the house, and the seal on the bottom came apart and we had to have it replaced. That was a nice $1,200 in the bucket.
"We had been trying to save and then this happened. What we did have in savings went out the window."
Money also is a factor in how the Andersons allot their time.
"I know Cherise would like not to have to work," Jeremy Anderson said. "But that's just not a luxury we can afford right now in our lives."
Because Darren Rausch works long days and commutes, he said he feels guilty about time lost with his children.
"I worry that I am not spending enough time with the kids all the time," he said. "But I try not to compensate with gifts and things. That's an easy trap to fall into.
"We just make the most of all of our time together. Daily, I want to see the kids before they fall asleep � that's what I look forward to. In the long run, I look forward to family trips."
Trena Rausch said because of her husband's long work hours she's often home alone with the kids from 6:15 a.m. to 8:15 p.m.
"It's like I'm a single parent," she said. "I don't like that."
"I feel like she has more of a burden all around," Darren Rausch said. "She does it all � works, nurtures and keeps the important things in focus."
Darren used to enjoy painting. Several of his artworks decorate the walls of the couple's home. But there's no time for that now. So he casts his eyes toward retirement, which seems a long way away.
"My goal is to retire by 55 to 60," he said. "But that's not going to happen because of financial debt and not being able to save."
For Trena, small moments take on added meaning.
"Last week we got to have a picnic on the porch," she said. "Nothing special, but it's what I really look forward to."
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