Duane, a student at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, has completely lost track of his days. Once, in what seems to be a different world, he got up, got ready for his day, and began with a drive to work. His day was broken up with different tasks and a lunch hour, before it ended with his commute home where he could relax with family for the night.
Where once time had movement and boundaries, now an entire day’s activities are accomplished from one solitary chair.
As much as Duane appreciates the opportunity to continue his schooling remotely, the day has begun blurring together. “I wake up and eat my breakfast in front of the computer as I login to our video classroom. I eat lunch from the same kitchen chair, waiting for my next class to begin. I’m not sure what I’ve accomplished at the end of the day.”
Some days Duane sits down to the computer by 7:30 am while other days he doesn’t take his seat until a full hour later. Some days he’ll have a large gap between classes where he remains at the table working on assignments. And some days he’ll return to the table after supper with his family and do more work. His class schedule, however, only notes the class times, not his working hours.
The first step in taking back your time is to determine where you’ve spent it.
Tracking your work can be as simple as starting an app or writing down a start time. Software solutions include RescueTime, which automatically tracks your time online. Many use the Pomodoro technique or the TomatoTimer to structure time at the desk.
The important part is to track progress through the day, recording where time is spent, whether that’s on work or elsewhere. Time tracking should be done for at least one week, though, as one day is not indicative of a trend.
In review, you may be surprised where your time has gone. As Laura Vanderkam, author of [Affiliate] 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think, noted, “The majority of people who claim to be overworked work less than they think they do, and many of the ways people work are extraordinarily inefficient. Calling something ‘work’ does not make it important or necessary.”
The flexibility to work on your own requires initiative and focus which may be hard to come by when you’re working from the kitchen table.
He may not move much, but Duane admits that he isn’t doing schoolwork all day long. Between classes and study, he logs on to social media to see what’s new. And he plays games on his phone or tablet in his downtime. When he does get up to move around, it’s usually to make a snack, check on the kids and pets, or to run a vacuum around the house.
“Distractions inhibit your ability to totally immerse yourself in a subject and reach a state of flow. When you reach a state of flow, you are able to easily learn and discover new things. You are more productive, and your work truly reflects the best of your abilities.”
Chris Winfield
Removing interruptions may be as simple as sound cancelling headphones. Setting a timer to count down to a break or putting up a sign that says ‘At Work’ can also provide a visual signal to housemates that you are not to be disrupted.
There is also software available to save you from yourself. FocusMe allows you to block your own access to distractions for however long you choose.
GradBlogger Challenge: Track your time for one week.
You can choose to use our time tracking spreadsheet, note the time spent on tasks in a notebook or agenda, or employ software to monitor your progress. Our challenge to you, though, is to do it for one week.
The goal in this time tracking challenge is not necessarily to become more productive. The aim, instead, is to unblur your days and find more time to step away from the computer. As Duane says, “I don’t want to do more work but I would like to sit somewhere else!”
We want to hear about how you spend your time. Do you work as much as you think you do? Are you satisfied with where your time is spent? Share your findings in the comments below or join the discussion in the GradBlogger Connect! Facebook group.
