Comments on: 168 Hours Time Tracking Challenge Day 6

By: lauravanderkam

lauravanderkam — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 19:51:23 +0000

In reply to Kristin.

@Kristin – “times of random nothingness” – that pretty much sums it up!

By: Kristin

Kristin — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 17:10:38 +0000

In reply to Tana. I agree on those times of random nothingness! I have at least 2 hours every night that are "prep lunches and clean kitchen". I don't feel like I'm doing that for two hours (my kitchen is neither clean nor are my lunches gourmet), but what else is happening then? I was thinking there was a little of this here and there, but seeing it add up over the 7 days was an eye opener! I'm going to write down (smaller increments maybe?) exactly what happens during that time to see if I can pick up and quantify that dual activity. The whole process was definitely an eye opening experience and I'm glad I made it the whole week this time!

By: lauravanderkam

lauravanderkam — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 00:30:45 +0000

In reply to Lily.

@Lily – I am willing to pay quite a bit for something that I love and that lasts, but I am so often disappointed by clothes. I’d say of this bento box that there is some promise, though I probably wasn’t as clear as I could have been about my style and hence it wasn’t going to be perfect (nor should I expect that). Something as simple as “I haven’t worn a belt in 25 years” would have probably kept them from sending me a belt 🙂

By: lauravanderkam

lauravanderkam — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 00:29:08 +0000

In reply to Tana.

@Tana – yes, the mixed times, particularly on weekends (evenings during the week somewhat too) can be tough to figure out what to do with. I realized this was one of the upsides of the kindle app — I can often get a little farther in the book I’m reading during these fleeting downtimes. But the kids often just wind up getting too much screen time during them. I need to figure out a good system for sending them outside or to the basement and telling them to just deal with it.

By: Lily

Lily — Sun, 17 Sep 2017 23:51:20 +0000

Looking forward to hearing about your results with the bento box – I love MM La Fleur’s style and ethos and I LOVE their newsletter – so often it has just the inspiration I need for that particular day. My ordering experience has been hit and miss – their prices are really at (well, beyond) the maximum of what I’m willing to pay for clothes so pieces really have to be perfect for me to keep them. But I have a few dresses and a jacket that I adore and have helped me feel confident and comfortable through many presentations and job interviews lately. Most of the rest of my wardrobe is second-hand/thrift shop/clothes swap.
I failed at the time-tracking challenge again – I never get more than a day or two into it and it always seems to trigger one of those disastrous time-vortex days that prove there’s no such thing as a typical week (this time it included a day of tummy bug and napping) BUT it did give me some ideas for how to set up my week better, and I’ve started tracking again today…

By: Tana

Tana — Sun, 17 Sep 2017 13:27:58 +0000

The thing I’ve found most interesting in your journals is how you handle those dead spaces of random nothingness (dealt with the kids and read or the garbage can/clean out the van/bathe the 2-year-old thing). I homeschool 3 kids and work from home so there is a lot of that on my schedule which drives me crazy. I don’t always want to be hiding from my family in the name of productivity. At the same time, there are certain hours of the day that always seem to be a complete waste (my husband comes home and everyone is tired and randomly talks about their day – sometimes I’m on Facebook during that time, sometimes I knit, sometimes I’m making supper, but it is never a focused conversation yet I feel like I ought to be there). Logging my time this week has helped me get more of a handle on those times – I just record dual activities which helps me better define what I really was doing during those times (just as you supervise the kids and read).