Comments on: The activity spreadsheet, and protecting time to work https://lauravanderkam.com/2018/08/the-activity-spreadsheet-and-protecting-time-to-work/ Writer, Author, Speaker Wed, 08 Aug 2018 22:29:29 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 By: DVstudent https://lauravanderkam.com/2018/08/the-activity-spreadsheet-and-protecting-time-to-work/#comment-43072 Wed, 08 Aug 2018 22:29:29 +0000 https://lauravanderkam.com/?p=16924#comment-43072 Here’s a question that might not be as applicable to this audience (no partner, no children, basically a full time student, so the time demands are much less, but still there)

How do you protect your time? For example, this week, I intended to be ‘off’ to get paper drafts done. I had to give a 10 min talk Tuesday for my department to some outside funding sponsors, so fine, I came in Tuesday afternoon, and I met up with a former coworker to discuss my paper-so in the end, this was a good thing. Today, I found myself at work because outside faculty were giving a talk, and then my coordinator figured, ‘hey, you’re here, and we do need to do an annual meeting’. So now, instead of 4 days at home, I’ll have max, 2, and I definitely haven’t finished what I need to do. Even when I’m at work with plans to sit at my desk and write science, I end up getting drawn into discussions about science or asked to do things.

I am assuming it will only get worse as I return to medical school-but I’m trying to really figure out how to be truly unavailable, and make it clear that even if I am physically present, I’m not actually present.

]]> By: Meghan https://lauravanderkam.com/2018/08/the-activity-spreadsheet-and-protecting-time-to-work/#comment-43006 Tue, 07 Aug 2018 17:54:40 +0000 https://lauravanderkam.com/?p=16924#comment-43006 Car time can be great kid time! We have some excellent conversations, and love listening to books together (we’re doing Harry Potter right now, and it’s so fun to experience my younger son’s first time with him). That said, it’s still a pain to spend all day driving around! Even with only 2 kids, and both of them in the same activities (for now), I am also working to limit activities. Not just for my work time (though that’s a big factor) but because they’re happier with a balance of more unstructured time than structured. When they do have taekwondo or swimming or whatever, I usually spend that 45 mins doing research for something fun – the low-level-but-next-level work you mention that gets dropped when you’re short on time. Yesterday, it was reading up on 18th- and 19th-century literary salons!

]]> By: Laura Vanderkam https://lauravanderkam.com/2018/08/the-activity-spreadsheet-and-protecting-time-to-work/#comment-42992 Tue, 07 Aug 2018 12:03:28 +0000 https://lauravanderkam.com/?p=16924#comment-42992 In reply to Susan.

@Susan – I am giving you major props for your spreadsheet right now 🙂 I made my 11-year-old come in to look at my spreadsheet when I finished it, and I told him that he needed to give me appropriate praise.

]]> By: Susan https://lauravanderkam.com/2018/08/the-activity-spreadsheet-and-protecting-time-to-work/#comment-42966 Tue, 07 Aug 2018 02:44:00 +0000 https://lauravanderkam.com/?p=16924#comment-42966 I’ve just been working on this although I hadn’t thought to do it on a calendar spreadsheet. I know I need at least 1, preferably 2 days where I can stay late at work. I like 1 or 2 days to take kids to activities – I actually like seeing how swim lessons are going…add to that 3 kids, 4 therapies, twice weekly swim lessons plus one dance class. Whew. I too will be very proud of my spreadsheet once it’s finished!!

]]>