The Un-Schedule, revisited
I know, I know, this is still not the long post on willpower and extended will that I have been threatening to write for a few days now. I promise it will get written, possibly this weekend, time permitting.
Instead, I managed to squeeze enough time out of my day to work out my "un-schedule," or rather what a day typically looks like in the life of Phnee. I'm hoping this will help me manage my time better, now that I know what needs to be done on a regular basis. I've had to split my days according to categories, since everything changes drastically from one week to the next. There are seven different ways my days can go: regular day shifts, the first night shift, regular night shifts, first day off, off days that fall on weekdays, off days that fall on weekends, and the last day off.
I will put it all behind a cut, but I think having it written down will be more useful than trying to keep it all in my head. I found last week that making an unschedule for the days on which I was commuting was especially useful to help keep me on track. I was able to make much better time than I usually do.
Unschedule: Day Shifts
03:50: -wake up
03:50-04:00: -bathroom + brush teeth
04:00-04:30: -shower
-get dressed
04:30-05:00: -breakfast + vitamins
-pack lunch
-fetch car from parking
05:00-05:30: -drive to work
05:30-17:45: -work
17:45-18:30: -drive home
-park car
18:30-19:00: -spare time allotted because rush hour traffic sometimes sucks
-walk back from parking
19:00-19:30: -dinner
19:30-19:45: -dinner dishes
19:45-20:00: -brush/floss teeth
-vitamins
-set alarm
20:00 -bedtime
Unschedule: 1st Night Shift
07:00: -wake up
07:00-07:10: -bathroom + brush teeth
07:10-07:30: -shower
-get dressed
07:30-08:00: -breakfast + vitamins
-breakfast dishes
08:00-12:00: -errands
-medical appointments
-include driving time for errands & appointments
-writing/reading/knitting
12:00-12:30: -lunch
-lunch dishes
12:30-14:30: -pre-work nap (trust me, this is necessary, otherwise I spend 24 hours with no sleep)
14:30: -wake up
14:30-14:40: -bathroom + brush teeth
14:40-15:30: -get dressed
-dinner + vitamins
-dinner dishes
-pack food for work
15:30-16:30: -email + social media
16:30-17:30: -fetch car from parking
-drive to work (extra half hour needed due to rush hour traffic)
17:30-05:45: -work
Unschedule: Night Shifts
05:45-06:30: -drive home + park car
06:30-06:45: -vitamins + brush/floss teeth
-set alarm
06:45-15:00: -sleep
15:00: -wake up
15:00-15:10: -bathroom + brush teeth
15:10-5:30: -shower
-get dressed
15:30-16:30: -"breakfast" + vitamins
-pack food for work
-dishes
16:30-17:30: -fetch car from parking
-drive to work (extra half hour needed due to rush hour traffic)
17:30-05:45: -work
Unschedule: 1st Day Off
05:45-06:30: -drive home + park car
06:30-06:45: -put in load of laundry
06:45:-07:00: -brush/floss teeth + vitamins
-set alarm
07-00-12:00: -sleep
12:00: -wake up
12:00-12:10: -bathroom + brush teeth
12:10-12:15: -laundry in dryer
12:15-12:35: -shower
-get dressed
12:35-13:00: -"breakfast" + vitamins
-dishes
13:00-13:15: -kitchen tidy-up
13:15-13:30: -laundry out of dryer
-fold/put away laundry
13:30-14:00: -bedroom tidy
-pack bags
14:00-17:30: -fetch car from parking
-groceries/errands for Mtl (milk, etc.)
-gas for car
-drive to Montreal
17:30-18:00: -make dinner
-feed dog
18:00-18:30: -dinner with family
18:30-19:00: -dinner dishes
-kitchen clean-up
-unpack suitcases
19:00-20:00 -Bean's bedtime
20:00-21:30: -TV time with pdaughter and/or wait for Bean to fall asleep
21:30-22:00: -let dog outside
-put cats in basement
-check food & water for cats
-lights/curtains
-brush/floss teeth + vitamins
-bedtime
Unschedule: Day Off --Weekday
07:00: -wake up
07:00-08:30: -dressed (+ shower?)
-cats out of basement
-let dog out
-feed/water animals
-scoop litter boxes
-breakfast + vitamins
-medicate the cat if necessary
-help get Bean out the door so he and pdaughter can get to school
08:30-09:15: -walk the dog
09:15-13:30: -errands
-driving time for errands
-laundry
-cooking (1 dish only)
-lunch
-writing/reading/knitting/email
13:30-14:00: -pdaughter home (usually)
-tea break + chat :)
14:00-16:30: -house chores
*kitchen
*bathroom
*bedroom
16:30-17:30: -misc. (paying bills, etc.)
-dinner prep.
17:30-18:00: -Bean home from school
18:00-18:30: -dinner
18:30-19:00: -dinner dishes
-kitchen clean-up
19:00-20:00 -Bean's bedtime
20:00-21:30: -TV time with pdaughter and/or wait for Bean to fall asleep
21:30-22:00: -let dog outside
-put cats in basement
-check food & water for cats
-lights/curtains
-brush/floss teeth + vitamins
-bedtime
Unschedule: Day Off --Weekend
07:00: -wake up
07:00-08:00: -dressed (+ shower?)
-cats out of basement
-let dog out
-feed/water animals
-scoop litter boxes
-breakfast + vitamins
-medicate the cat if necessary
08:00-08:45: -walk the dog
08:45-12:00: -help wrangle Bean for the morning
-special house projects/chores
-errands that weren't/couldn't be run during the week
12:00-12:30: -make lunch
12:30-13:00: -lunch
13:00-13:15: -lunch dishes
13:15-16:30: -misc. chores
-misc. errands
-help wrangle Bean for the afternoon
16:30-17:30: -dinner prep.
17:30-18:00: -dinner
18:00-18:30: -unscheduled free time!!!
-help wrangle Bean (possibly even a family movie night! Woo!)
18:30-19:00: -dinner dishes
-kitchen clean-up
19:00-20:00 -Bean's bedtime
20:00-21:30: -TV time with pdaughter and/or wait for Bean to fall asleep
21:30-22:00: -let dog outside
-put cats in basement
-check food & water for cats
-lights/curtains
-brush/floss teeth + vitamins
-bedtime
Unschedule: Last Day Off
07:00: -wake up
07:00-08:30: -dressed (+ shower?)
-cats out of basement
-let dog out
-feed/water animals
-scoop litter boxes
-breakfast + vitamins
-medicate the cat if necessary
-help get Bean out the door so he and pdaughter can get to school
08:30-09:15: -walk the dog
09:15-13:30: -laundry
-last house tidy
-writing/reading/knitting/email
-pack for Ottawa
13:30-14:00: -pdaughter home (usually)
-tea break + chat :)
14:00-16:30: -drive to Ottawa
-gas in car
16:30-18:00: -unpack car
-put in load of laundry (linens)
-groceries
-misc. errands before work
-laundry in dryer
-unpack groceries
18:00-18:30: -dinner
18:30-19:00: -dinner dishes
-laundry out of dryer
-unpack suitcases
19:00-19:45: -email + social media
-brush/floss teeth
-vitamins
20:00: -bedtime
Obviously a lot of these time divisions are artificial. Meals, especially when Bean is involved, are not at a fixed time. Also, sometimes he and pdaughter get home later from school because of traffic, and so we alter the schedule accordingly.
I'm also lucky enough that, like today, most of the time I can access social media at work and can take a break every so often in order to post to LiveJournal or check Twitter. I can't do it all the time, of course, especially not on day shifts, but at least I won't be completely disconnected. Looking at the actual hours I have free on my days off to do personal things, I realise I can't afford to be on social media at all during that time. Otherwise I'll never get anything done.
Not listed in this are single-time events, like the occasional night of gaming and/or seeing friends, and the one day a month that will be designated a "cooking day," which means errands and the like won't happen on those days. This coming Monday I have a mandatory work meeting at 17:00 after my last night shift, so my day won't look at all like my "first day off" unschedule this time around. The next morning I have to bring the car in for repairs before 08:00, so again, my day will have to be altered to reflect this change.
Taking all this into account, I have tried to figure out how many of each type of day I have in a month. It breaks down as follows:
7-8 Day Shifts
5-6 Night Shifts
3-4 First Night Shifts
3-4 First Days Off
3-4 Last Days Off
4-5 Days Off (Weekdays)
4 Days Off (Weekends)
Since I have writing scheduled for days off that are weekdays, but only after all my errands are run, as well as my first night shift, I am guessing I can probably average that out to 1 hour of writing on the days off and 2 hours before my night shifts. I have to rule out one day off which will be spent cooking. That gives me 8-12 hours of writing a month. At my best I write about 100 words an hour, which means I can reasonably aim for about 6-10k a month. It's not much, but it's better than nothing.
This also doesn't take into account the times when it will be quiet at work and I feel I can get away with doing some longhand writing during my night shifts. I'm not including these in the unschedule, because work is work and I have to assume that the work itself will come first at any given time.
In the meantime, I am still hard at work trying to set up all my new personal goals and breaking them down into specific, manageable chunks. I've been writing down implementation intentions for all of my goals, making lists that I hope will allow me to see where everything slots into my life. It's a slower process than I originally thoughts, and this holiday season has been so busy I've barely had time to think, so I wasn't done yesterday the way I'd hoped (unaided by a visit from the migraine fairy halfway through my commute to Ottawa, thanks), but I am optimistic that I'll be done by the end of the weekend.
I also have my Capricornucopia play that I need to work on in the next few days. Friday is my first night shift, so I have no doubt I will be working on it then. See? It's all coming together. ;)
Instead, I managed to squeeze enough time out of my day to work out my "un-schedule," or rather what a day typically looks like in the life of Phnee. I'm hoping this will help me manage my time better, now that I know what needs to be done on a regular basis. I've had to split my days according to categories, since everything changes drastically from one week to the next. There are seven different ways my days can go: regular day shifts, the first night shift, regular night shifts, first day off, off days that fall on weekdays, off days that fall on weekends, and the last day off.
I will put it all behind a cut, but I think having it written down will be more useful than trying to keep it all in my head. I found last week that making an unschedule for the days on which I was commuting was especially useful to help keep me on track. I was able to make much better time than I usually do.
Unschedule: Day Shifts
03:50: -wake up
03:50-04:00: -bathroom + brush teeth
04:00-04:30: -shower
-get dressed
04:30-05:00: -breakfast + vitamins
-pack lunch
-fetch car from parking
05:00-05:30: -drive to work
05:30-17:45: -work
17:45-18:30: -drive home
-park car
18:30-19:00: -spare time allotted because rush hour traffic sometimes sucks
-walk back from parking
19:00-19:30: -dinner
19:30-19:45: -dinner dishes
19:45-20:00: -brush/floss teeth
-vitamins
-set alarm
20:00 -bedtime
Unschedule: 1st Night Shift
07:00: -wake up
07:00-07:10: -bathroom + brush teeth
07:10-07:30: -shower
-get dressed
07:30-08:00: -breakfast + vitamins
-breakfast dishes
08:00-12:00: -errands
-medical appointments
-include driving time for errands & appointments
-writing/reading/knitting
12:00-12:30: -lunch
-lunch dishes
12:30-14:30: -pre-work nap (trust me, this is necessary, otherwise I spend 24 hours with no sleep)
14:30: -wake up
14:30-14:40: -bathroom + brush teeth
14:40-15:30: -get dressed
-dinner + vitamins
-dinner dishes
-pack food for work
15:30-16:30: -email + social media
16:30-17:30: -fetch car from parking
-drive to work (extra half hour needed due to rush hour traffic)
17:30-05:45: -work
Unschedule: Night Shifts
05:45-06:30: -drive home + park car
06:30-06:45: -vitamins + brush/floss teeth
-set alarm
06:45-15:00: -sleep
15:00: -wake up
15:00-15:10: -bathroom + brush teeth
15:10-5:30: -shower
-get dressed
15:30-16:30: -"breakfast" + vitamins
-pack food for work
-dishes
16:30-17:30: -fetch car from parking
-drive to work (extra half hour needed due to rush hour traffic)
17:30-05:45: -work
Unschedule: 1st Day Off
05:45-06:30: -drive home + park car
06:30-06:45: -put in load of laundry
06:45:-07:00: -brush/floss teeth + vitamins
-set alarm
07-00-12:00: -sleep
12:00: -wake up
12:00-12:10: -bathroom + brush teeth
12:10-12:15: -laundry in dryer
12:15-12:35: -shower
-get dressed
12:35-13:00: -"breakfast" + vitamins
-dishes
13:00-13:15: -kitchen tidy-up
13:15-13:30: -laundry out of dryer
-fold/put away laundry
13:30-14:00: -bedroom tidy
-pack bags
14:00-17:30: -fetch car from parking
-groceries/errands for Mtl (milk, etc.)
-gas for car
-drive to Montreal
17:30-18:00: -make dinner
-feed dog
18:00-18:30: -dinner with family
18:30-19:00: -dinner dishes
-kitchen clean-up
-unpack suitcases
19:00-20:00 -Bean's bedtime
20:00-21:30: -TV time with pdaughter and/or wait for Bean to fall asleep
21:30-22:00: -let dog outside
-put cats in basement
-check food & water for cats
-lights/curtains
-brush/floss teeth + vitamins
-bedtime
Unschedule: Day Off --Weekday
07:00: -wake up
07:00-08:30: -dressed (+ shower?)
-cats out of basement
-let dog out
-feed/water animals
-scoop litter boxes
-breakfast + vitamins
-medicate the cat if necessary
-help get Bean out the door so he and pdaughter can get to school
08:30-09:15: -walk the dog
09:15-13:30: -errands
-driving time for errands
-laundry
-cooking (1 dish only)
-lunch
-writing/reading/knitting/email
13:30-14:00: -pdaughter home (usually)
-tea break + chat :)
14:00-16:30: -house chores
*kitchen
*bathroom
*bedroom
16:30-17:30: -misc. (paying bills, etc.)
-dinner prep.
17:30-18:00: -Bean home from school
18:00-18:30: -dinner
18:30-19:00: -dinner dishes
-kitchen clean-up
19:00-20:00 -Bean's bedtime
20:00-21:30: -TV time with pdaughter and/or wait for Bean to fall asleep
21:30-22:00: -let dog outside
-put cats in basement
-check food & water for cats
-lights/curtains
-brush/floss teeth + vitamins
-bedtime
Unschedule: Day Off --Weekend
07:00: -wake up
07:00-08:00: -dressed (+ shower?)
-cats out of basement
-let dog out
-feed/water animals
-scoop litter boxes
-breakfast + vitamins
-medicate the cat if necessary
08:00-08:45: -walk the dog
08:45-12:00: -help wrangle Bean for the morning
-special house projects/chores
-errands that weren't/couldn't be run during the week
12:00-12:30: -make lunch
12:30-13:00: -lunch
13:00-13:15: -lunch dishes
13:15-16:30: -misc. chores
-misc. errands
-help wrangle Bean for the afternoon
16:30-17:30: -dinner prep.
17:30-18:00: -dinner
18:00-18:30: -unscheduled free time!!!
-help wrangle Bean (possibly even a family movie night! Woo!)
18:30-19:00: -dinner dishes
-kitchen clean-up
19:00-20:00 -Bean's bedtime
20:00-21:30: -TV time with pdaughter and/or wait for Bean to fall asleep
21:30-22:00: -let dog outside
-put cats in basement
-check food & water for cats
-lights/curtains
-brush/floss teeth + vitamins
-bedtime
Unschedule: Last Day Off
07:00: -wake up
07:00-08:30: -dressed (+ shower?)
-cats out of basement
-let dog out
-feed/water animals
-scoop litter boxes
-breakfast + vitamins
-medicate the cat if necessary
-help get Bean out the door so he and pdaughter can get to school
08:30-09:15: -walk the dog
09:15-13:30: -laundry
-last house tidy
-writing/reading/knitting/email
-pack for Ottawa
13:30-14:00: -pdaughter home (usually)
-tea break + chat :)
14:00-16:30: -drive to Ottawa
-gas in car
16:30-18:00: -unpack car
-put in load of laundry (linens)
-groceries
-misc. errands before work
-laundry in dryer
-unpack groceries
18:00-18:30: -dinner
18:30-19:00: -dinner dishes
-laundry out of dryer
-unpack suitcases
19:00-19:45: -email + social media
-brush/floss teeth
-vitamins
20:00: -bedtime
Obviously a lot of these time divisions are artificial. Meals, especially when Bean is involved, are not at a fixed time. Also, sometimes he and pdaughter get home later from school because of traffic, and so we alter the schedule accordingly.
I'm also lucky enough that, like today, most of the time I can access social media at work and can take a break every so often in order to post to LiveJournal or check Twitter. I can't do it all the time, of course, especially not on day shifts, but at least I won't be completely disconnected. Looking at the actual hours I have free on my days off to do personal things, I realise I can't afford to be on social media at all during that time. Otherwise I'll never get anything done.
Not listed in this are single-time events, like the occasional night of gaming and/or seeing friends, and the one day a month that will be designated a "cooking day," which means errands and the like won't happen on those days. This coming Monday I have a mandatory work meeting at 17:00 after my last night shift, so my day won't look at all like my "first day off" unschedule this time around. The next morning I have to bring the car in for repairs before 08:00, so again, my day will have to be altered to reflect this change.
Taking all this into account, I have tried to figure out how many of each type of day I have in a month. It breaks down as follows:
7-8 Day Shifts
5-6 Night Shifts
3-4 First Night Shifts
3-4 First Days Off
3-4 Last Days Off
4-5 Days Off (Weekdays)
4 Days Off (Weekends)
Since I have writing scheduled for days off that are weekdays, but only after all my errands are run, as well as my first night shift, I am guessing I can probably average that out to 1 hour of writing on the days off and 2 hours before my night shifts. I have to rule out one day off which will be spent cooking. That gives me 8-12 hours of writing a month. At my best I write about 100 words an hour, which means I can reasonably aim for about 6-10k a month. It's not much, but it's better than nothing.
This also doesn't take into account the times when it will be quiet at work and I feel I can get away with doing some longhand writing during my night shifts. I'm not including these in the unschedule, because work is work and I have to assume that the work itself will come first at any given time.
In the meantime, I am still hard at work trying to set up all my new personal goals and breaking them down into specific, manageable chunks. I've been writing down implementation intentions for all of my goals, making lists that I hope will allow me to see where everything slots into my life. It's a slower process than I originally thoughts, and this holiday season has been so busy I've barely had time to think, so I wasn't done yesterday the way I'd hoped (unaided by a visit from the migraine fairy halfway through my commute to Ottawa, thanks), but I am optimistic that I'll be done by the end of the weekend.
I also have my Capricornucopia play that I need to work on in the next few days. Friday is my first night shift, so I have no doubt I will be working on it then. See? It's all coming together. ;)