It’s the few extra minutes sitting in the driveway before entering a home full of kids and responsibilities. It’s the extra minute or two in the bathroom scrolling on your phone before returning to your desk. These short breaks may feel like a small piece of your day, but for many Americans these are the moments that help push through the stress and chaos of everyday life.
At SolitaireStreak, we’re no stranger to the desire for a few minutes alone. Whether that time is spent playing a quick game on your phone or listening to music, it can provide a break from the world around you and give you time for yourself.
As participants of these moments of stolen solitude ourselves, we set out to learn more about the habits Americans turn to gain a few minutes alone. To do this, we surveyed people across the U.S. who live with at least one other person and asked a variety of questions about the habits they turn to for alone time, how they spend this time, how it impacts them, and more. Read on to learn more about our findings.
Key Takeaways
- 67% of Americans take personal breaks at least once a day.
- 79% of Americans have lied about, hidden, or kept quiet about a break they took just to be alone.
- Staying up after everyone goes to bed is the most common habit Americans turn to for some alone time (92%).
- 61% of Americans have spent money they didn’t need to spend just to get time alone.
- 1 in 2 parents with kids living at home say they’d be a worse parent without these small breaks.
- 1 in 2 Americans admit to taking personal breaks for a moment alone from their partner.
How Americans Carve Out a Few Minutes Alone
Before looking at how Americans find a few minutes alone, we wanted to know how often they go looking in the first place. The answer is constantly as 93% take a personal break at least once a week and 67% take one at least once a day. Those numbers barely move across age, gender, or household size.
The most popular way to be alone is to outlast everyone else. 92% of Americans have stayed up after the rest of the house went to bed, and 40% do it every single night.
The most popular approach is simply to outlast everybody else. Staying up after the rest of the house goes to bed is something 92% of Americans have done, and 40% do it every single night. Stretching out a bathroom trip lands second at 89%, and waking up earlier than everyone else takes third at 78%.
From there, the habits get more inventive. Walks with no particular destination have worked for 74% of Americans and invented or stretched-out errands for 71%. Another 70% have found a few quiet minutes in the car, whether that’s in a parking lot or in their own driveway.
The middle of the list is where the excuses get more creative. Going to a store without needing anything and taking the long way home tie at 61%. We weren’t surprised that people invent errands, but we were surprised by what lands next. Volunteering for a chore nobody else wanted comes in at 60%, which makes the chore both the thing people usually try to avoid and the thing they’ll take on for five minutes alone. Eating a meal or a snack in the car closes out that stretch at 59%.
The bottom of the list is where the habits turn into small performances. Pretending to be asleep has worked for 56% of Americans, pretending to be on a call or otherwise busy for 46%, and driving past an exit or circling the block for 41%. Staying later at work after a shift ended comes in at 39%. That one carries the widest gender gap in the group, with 50% of men having done it compared to 33% of women.
Where Americans Go to Be Alone
After learning which habits Americans turn to, we wanted to know where all this hiding actually takes place. Most of it happens inside the house, and one room stands well ahead of the rest.
Americans stay in the bathroom longer than they need to every single day.
The bathroom is the clear winner at 61%, ahead of every other spot in or outside the house. It’s the one room where a closed door doesn’t need explaining. It’s also the habit people repeat most often, with 33% of Americans stretching out a bathroom trip daily. The bedroom with the door closed comes next at 53%, followed by another room in the house at 37% and the garage at 13%.
Where people hide splits along gender lines more than anywhere else in our study. Women retreat to the bedroom with the door closed at 59%, compared to 42% of men. The garage runs the other way, used by nearly 1 in 5 men and just 9% of women.
Not every break happens under the same roof, though. Half of Americans take their breaks in the car, and 46% go for a walk around the neighborhood. Another 35% head out to the yard, porch, or balcony, 31% find their moment in a store or a parking lot, and 17% take it at work.
The car deserves its own mention here, because it’s the one spot people use as a buffer between the day and the house. Sitting in the driveway or garage before going inside is something 70% of Americans have done. That number climbs with every person added to the household, from 65% of those living with one other person up to 83% of those living with six or more.
The Cover Stories Americans Tell
Finding a place to go is one thing. Explaining where you went is another. We asked Americans whether they’ve ever covered for one of these breaks, and most of them have.
of Americans have lied about, hidden, or kept quiet about a break they took just to be alone.
say a break has caused an argument or hurt feelings at home.
think the people they live with are taking these breaks to get away from them.
Lying about, hiding, or keeping quiet about a break is something 79% of Americans have done. The most common cover story is that the errand ran long, which 58% have used. Another 53% have gone further and lied outright about where they were or how long something took. Nearly half (46%) keep these breaks a secret from the people they live with entirely.
The secrecy comes with a cost. Guilt is the most common one, reported by 2 in 5 Americans. Another 37% have been caught in the act, and for 28% a break has caused an argument or hurt feelings at home. That friction gets worse in a crowded house, where 40% of Americans living with six or more people have fought over a personal break.
The most interesting part is that almost everybody suspects everybody else. Roughly 8 in 10 Americans think the people they live with are taking these same breaks to get away from them. The hiding, it turns out, is mutual and mostly unnecessary. Half of Americans, 49%, agree they shouldn’t have to hide to get time alone in the first place.
The Cost of a Missed Break
We know what these breaks look like and how hard people work to protect them. The next question was what happens on the days they don’t get one. The most common answer is exhaustion, reported by 64% of Americans.
Americans snap at someone they love when they do not get a few minutes to themselves.
This is followed closely by irritability at 63% as the second most common impact. Losing focus affects 47% and withdrawing or shutting down affects 41%, ranking third and fourth, respectively.
Some of that spills onto everybody else. Roughly 1 in 3 Americans say they snap at someone they love when they don’t get a few minutes to themselves, and 32% feel resentful.
What Americans Do with the Time
With so many ways Americans try to grab some time alone, we wondered what people do during these moments of solitude. It comes as no surprise that screens fill a majority of Americans’ time.
of Americans need more time alone each day than they actually get.
Leading the way as the most common activity is scrolling social media (67%). This is followed by listening to music at 61% and watching videos or a show at 52%. For nearly 1 in 2 people, simply sitting in silence is the ideal way to spend alone time.
From there the breaks get more personal, with eating or drinking something without sharing it at 44%, playing a game on a phone at 40%, and listening to a podcast or an audiobook at 30%. Nearly 1 in 4 do nothing in particular, 22% text or call a friend, and 17% cry. That last one carries the sharpest gender gap in the study, with nearly 1 in 4 women crying during a personal break compared to 6% of men.
Whatever’s happening in there isn’t happening for long, since most of these breaks run 10 minutes or less, at 42%, with 5 to 10 minutes the single most common length. Only 3% stretch past an hour. For a lot of people that still isn’t enough, with 41% of Americans needing more time alone each day than they actually get.
Enjoy Your Alone Time with a Game
Whether we need a break from your busy home life or office, sometimes just a couple of minutes alone is all you need to feel refreshed. If you find yourself seeking a moment of solitude, just know that you’re not the only one. As our study has shown, people all across the country are frequently lingering in a bathroom or driveway for a short break.
Next time you take a minute for yourself, let the team SolitaireStreak keep you entertained while also exercising your brain. With free, online games of Spider Solitaire, FreeCell, and more, you are sure to find a game to help you make the most of your alone time.
Methodology
In this study, we set out to learn about the small habits Americans use to carve out a few minutes alone. To do this, we surveyed 1,415 Americans who live with at least one other person and asked a variety of questions including how often they take personal breaks, which habits they use, where those breaks happen, who they’re taking a break from, and more.
