She Does Better

Emilie Burke

Ideal week vs actual actual week

// Professional, Time Management

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Back in May, I wrote a bit about my ideal week. I laid out this:

I thought the beginning of the year would be a good week to track my time to see how it’s going. I wasn’t actively thinking about this ideal week. Laura Vanderkam talked about a time tracking challenge to start the year, so I went for it.

I work from home full time, so my work and life can sometimes bleed together, which makes things like sitting down and evaluating how/where my time is going super important. I highlighted my “work” in orange and my work-adjacent things in Green, the latter being important (coaching, talking to a peer at another company, mentor coffee chat, travel for work) but not my job. I worked 41.5 hours (not including meals), spent 3 hours in work adjacent things, and spent 12 hours traveling for work.

The week after this, I spoke at a conference for work. The Walking Dead makes a number of prominent appearances. I was trying to finish/catch up on the current season.

I mostly feel good about where my time went: I read, went to the gym, worked a reasonable amount, hacked on my side project, had 3 social outings (Friday night + 2 on Saturday). I’d like to carve out more time for writing, but I’m a serious procrastinator when it comes to writing and I always find it painful, so it’s not a priority.

My Morning Routine // September 2018

// Time Management

Reading Time: 3 minutesWhen we chronicle a day, whether through words or pictures, we take a snapshot in time. We freeze that memory when we capture it. A picture, the story, the note jotted down on a napkin– seeing and reading these captured moments gives us the opportunity to re-experience them and the feelings associated with them.

That’s why I love writing these morning routine blog posts. They give my chance to read what that particular moment in life was like and, as a result, I get the joy from reminiscing about that season.

For nearly a year, though, I haven’t written about my morning routine. Yes, you’ve read that correctly. The last time I really wrote about my morning routine was August 2017. I did reflect on it that November, but it just changed with that season and the morning routine experiment fell flat.

For you and for me (mostly for me), I’m capturing this season of life, especially as it is rapidly coming to a close. My hope is that this can be a source for you if you’re looking for inspiration for your own morning routine.

7 AM- Wake up, Brush teeth, Get Dressed
7:30 AM- Eat breakfast
8 AM- Bible study or read book over tea
8:30 AM- Walk Bo
9 AM- Start Work
5 PM- End Work, Go To Crossfit High Tide
5:30 PM- WOD
6:30 PM- Thank God I survived
7 PM- Get Home, Dinner, Read, Netflix, Clean, Dishes, Fold Laundry, Maintain House
11 PM- Bed

That seems simple, doesn’t it? Well, that’s because it is.

I’m in this season of cutting, of saying no, and of eliminating obligation to create room for what is to come. Part of how I’m doing that is by keeping work to work hours only.

One of the tendencies of working from home is feeling like I’m always “on.” Every moment, especially those spent at a computer, can feel like an opportunity to work. When you enjoy work it can feel good to keep going, to push something over the line when you’ve suddenly had a 💡 moment. By limiting work to my work hours, though, I’m giving myself permission to clock in and out. The fact of the matter is that my brain is going to continue to try to solve those problems even when I’m not seated at my desk. The trick is recognizing, appreciating, and being grateful for the a-ha moments, noting the solution, and setting it aside for my next work day. This is a constantly evolving battle, but it’s one worth working actively focusing on. This doesn’t mean I don’t love my job; quite the contrary. (In fact, I’m feeling more professionally fulfilled than I have in a long time.) It means that I love my job so much that I value caring for my mental longevity- and I’m lucky enough to work at a special place that cares about me caring for my mental longevity!

Longtime readers will recognize the evening workout as different! I’ve never developed an evening workout routine before this season. This decision came from limited morning workout options at my current Box and that I needed a clear transition between work and not-work. I am certainly not as prone to pushing myself when I’m already pooped for the day, but I take what I can get.

This schedule is very different from any schedule I’ve ever maintained before. It starts later and it ends later than most routines I’ve shared. It’s simple. It doesn’t involve writing, journaling, or free-time coding. It’s about making do with the energy I’ve got.

I’d be amiss to not recognize that in this season of solo-living it takes me longer to recharge. The fact of the matter is that we choose someone to do life with, and deployments take that person away for extended periods of time. This extended period of time has included international travel, planning a wedding, and getting settled into a new city. Though it ebbs and flows, more often than not I find myself exhausted. Not in a “wow that was a great workout” or a “work is burning me out” sort of way, but in a mentally-emotionally-spiritually way that requires I just lay in bed and cuddle Bo for a little bit and thank God for FaceTime and my FRG.

My morning routine now isn’t productive. It’s not about knocking things off or getting all of the things done. It’s about giving myself enough battery that I can run through the day, not just surviving but with just a little bit of thriving too.

My Current Morning Routine // Summer 2017

// Productivity, Professional, Time Management

Reading Time: 2 minutesI’ve shared my morning routine on the blog repeatedly. It’s great because I’ve gotten to see it evolve with each of the stages of life that I’ve been in.

April 2015

I first shared my Morning Routine in April 2015, back when I was still in college. I’m impressed that I was eating two breakfasts, even then. I didn’t remember that detail (one of the reasons having these posts to look back on is SO cool). The highlights:

  • I still don’t drink coffee
  • I still eat two breakfasts
  • I now avoid emails in the morning
  • I still try to get my morning workouts in.

September 2015

This was my first post-college morning routine. At the time, I was still getting settled into my new home and new job in Baltimore. The highlights:

  • I am very dependent on my alarm clock now.
  • I definitely do not run a mile.

December 2015

My next post-college morning routine! By this point, I had already pushed my workouts further back from just the quarter later and I had reverted back to my dependency on my alarm clock with many, many alarms. That sounds much more like me.

  • I don’t work out alone anymore.
  • I don’t work out with the TV on anymore.
  • I still try to make eating in the morning a priority.

December 2016

It was a whole year before I updated my morning routine again.

  • I am still doing Crossfit!
  • I no longer cook in the mornings

August 2017

Those bring us to where I am today.

[table caption=”August 2017″ colalign=”center”]

time,

4:45 AM, First alarm goes off – radio comes on

4:50 AM, Second alarm goes of – I get up and go to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth

5 AM, Final alarm goes off – I pop into the kitchen and make my morning Spark and whatever I’m going to eat

5:10 AM, I leave the house for the gym

5:30 AM-6:40 AM, Crossfit Raeford – Drive home

7 AM, Get home- Eat – Shower – Get ready

7:30 AM, Read

8 AM, Final touches on getting ready – Make sure lunches are packed

8:10 AM, Leave the house for my coworking space

8:40 AM, Arrive to coworking space

8:45 AM, Start working for the day

[/table]

The highlights:

  • I’m waking up earlier than ever before.
  • I’m going to an earlier class at work.
  • I added a commute back into my schedule by joining a coworking space.
  • I no longer cook or prepare food in the mornings. I usually eat something that is made from powder or oats.
  • I still don’t drink coffee but I now drink Spark and Zest Tea in the mornings
  • I don’t have to worry about programming since I’ve been going to a Crossfit gym and I love it.
  • If I don’t go to the gym, I generally spend that extra hour writing or I start work earlier. I always try to start work before 9 AM.

Anything about my morning routine jump out to you? Anything you’d suggest?

168 Hours in a Week: How Did My Time Change?

// Time Management

Reading Time: 7 minutesWe’ve all read a million “Productivity Hacks.” A simple google search will turn up with a gajillion-million people telling you how to find more time in your day. Personally, I love productivity hacks. The fact of the matter, though, is that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Productivity hacks that work for me might not work for you. Not only that, but what works today may not work tomorrow. In the same way that we have phases of life, there are phases of focus and interest.

Increasing Your Productivity Is Important

There is always more to do. Every day there is a new obligation, a new responsibility, something new to take on.With a growing to-do list and ever more things to get done, it can sometimes feel overwhelming to try to get everything you need to get done. I was just talking with my friend Glen about how sometimes a todo list can feel like its hanging over your head in such a way that prevents you from even getting started!

I was very into paper planners for a while. Then I moved and found myself unable to lug paper planners around. Then I went back to a paper planner, but a different one that really worked for me (I’ve been using the same one for a year now!). I liked tracking my food in writing. Then I moved onto the MyFitnessPal app because there’s nothing more convenient than being able scan a barcode. Not everything is about digitizing, though. Dropbox vs Google Drive, Overcast vs the Podcast App- there are lots of phases for tools and one is not more right than they other, they are just about trying to figure out what works best for you in that particular phase. To me, productivity is maximizing your output through managed effort. We all have the same 168 hours in a week. It’s all about how you use them.

The 168 Hour Project

Tracking a week of my life in half-hour increments is not an idea that just magically came to me. It was something I first read about in [easyazon_link identifier=”0143109723″ locale=”US” tag=”burkedoes-20″]Laura Vanderkam’s I Know How She Does It[/easyazon_link]. Despite being a fellow Princeton graduate, what actually inspired me to pick up Vanderkam’s book was the recommendation from my sorority mentor (Rah rah for KKG!). In my first year post-grad, I mentioned that I struggled with managing work, my then-long-distance relationship, my life obligations, and the things I wanted to be doing. I felt overwhelmed and burdened. My mentor suggested [easyazon_link identifier=”0143109723″ locale=”US” tag=”burkedoes-20″]I Know How She Does It[/easyazon_link] and I could not be more grateful that she did. The book profiled the high-income family-women that I hope to live similar lives to one day and the moral of the story was that it could definitely be done.

While I’ve sporadically tracked my week in the past, I’ve recently started to share them once per month in an experiment of sorts. In many ways my February 168 Hour Snapshot was just a starting point. It gave you and me a sense of what my week looked like. I would say I’m settled into a routine most of the time- er, well, as routine as life can be really.

I shared after reflecting on that last experience that there were two specific things that I wanted to improve in my schedule. First, I wanted to do more of my freelance work in batch work. Second, I wanted to theme my days. I did not expect a flip to switch and these things be done. Making changes like these are slow and require constant trial and error. They’re something I’m going to be continuously working on.

Budgeting Time Like Budgeting Money

There are only so many hours in a day and thus in a week. In the same way, there are only so many dollars in your paycheck and thus in your bank account.  I’ve always believed that the way you spend your money is indicative of your values. (The Budgets and Cents Podcast had a great episode on this subject called Defining Your Values. Strongly recommend!) The same is true for your time! We’ve all heard the saying that you have time for the things you make time for. I could not agree more. It’s why you will always find time when you need it, but blow off the things that weren’t that important to you in the first place.

I’m not really willing to lose sleep over things, but when they’re important I will. This is the manifestation of this. I value my sleep over most things, but there are a handful of things that I’m willing to give up some sleep for.

Real Life Schedules

A disclaimer: I purposefully share these nearly a month after they’ve happened because the internet can sometimes be a scary place and I don’t want anyone knocking on my door. That being said, they’re as accurate as possible.

That being said, here is my schedule for the third week in March.

[table caption=”Week 11 of 2017″]
,MONDAY,TUESDAY,WEDNESDAY,THURSDAY,FRIDAY,SATURDAY,SUNDAY
5AM,,,,,Casey came home,Up for Rugby,
5:30,,,,,,Back to Sleep,
6,,,,,,,
6:30,,,Read,,,,
7,,Wake Up/Eat,Eat,,Wake Up/Eat,Wake Up,Wake Up
7:30,Wake Up/Eat,To Gym,To Gym,Wake Up/Eat,To Gym,Cuddles,Freelance
8,Get Ready,Crossfit,Crossfit,Read,Crossfit,Breakfast,Freelance
8:30,Laundry Fold,Crossfit,Crossfit,Work,Crossfit,Brakfast,Freelance
9,Laundry Fold,From Crossfit,From Crossfit,To Bank,From Crossfit,Work on New House (Tile Demo),Freelance
9:30,Work ,Eat,Eat,Bank/From Bank,Work,Work on New House (Tile Demo),Work on New House (Tile Demo)
10,Work,Work,Work,Work,Work,Work on New House (Tile Demo),Work on New House (Tile Demo)
10:30,Customer Support Call,Freelance,Work,Work,Work,Work on New House (Tile Demo),Work on New House (Tile Demo)
11,Work ,Freelance,Work,Work,Work,Work on New House (Tile Demo),Work on New House (Tile Demo)
11:30,Work,Work,Work,To New House,Work,Work on New House (Tile Demo),Work on New House (Tile Demo)
12PM,Work,Work,Work,From New House,Work,Work on New House (Tile Demo),Work on New House (Tile Demo)
12:30,Work,Work,Work,Work,Work,Work on New House (Tile Demo),Work on New House (Tile Demo)
1,Freelance,Freelance,Work,Work,Work,Work on New House (Tile Demo),Work on New House (Tile Demo)
1:30,Work,Work,Work,Work,Work,Work on New House (Tile Demo),Work on New House (Tile Demo)
2,Work,Work,Work,Work,Work,Work on New House (Tile Demo),Work on New House (Tile Demo)
2:30,Emails,Work,Work,Work,Work,Work on New House (Tile Demo),Work on New House (Tile Demo)
3,Go to New House,EBA,Work,Shower,Nap ,Work on New House (Tile Demo),Work on New House (Tile Demo)
3:30,House Photographer,EBA,Work,Work,Nap,Work on New House (Tile Demo),Work on New House (Tile Demo)
4,Go to CleanEatz,Work,”Get money, Pay Keith”,Work,Clean,Work on New House (Tile Demo),Work on New House (Tile Demo)
4:30,Buy Food,Work,Get check from Ashley,Work,Organize,Work on New House (Tile Demo),Work on New House (Tile Demo)
5,Go Home,Work,Dinner,Work,Shower,Work on New House (Tile Demo),Work on New House (Tile Demo)
5:30,Work,Work,TV,Nap,Cook,Work on New House (Tile Demo),Work on New House (Tile Demo)
6,TV,Work,Read,Nap,Cook,Go Get Food,Work on New House (Tile Demo)
6:30,TV,To Haircut,Freelancing,Nap,Dinner,Dinner,Work on New House (Tile Demo)
7,Eat,Haircut,Freelancing,Show Angie New House,The Walking Dead,Sons of Anarchy,Work on New House (Tile Demo)
7:30,Clean,Haircut,Freelancing,Show Angie New House,The Walking Dead,Sons of Anarchy,Home
8,Read,Haircut,Freelancing,17.4 at CFR,Date Night Hanging Out,Sons of Anarchy,Shower
8:30,Freelance,Haircut,Freelancing,17.4 at CFR,Date Night Hanging Out,Sons of Anarchy,Laundry
9,Bed,Stop by New House,Freelancing,17.4 at CFR,Date Night Hanging Out,Sons of Anarchy,The Walking Dead
9:30,,To Home,Freelancing,Organize/Clean,Date Night Hanging Out,Sons of Anarchy,The Walking Dead
10,,Dinner and Bed,Rest,Bed,Bed,Bed,Bed
10:30,,,Bed,,,,
11,,,,,,,
11:30,,,,,,,
12AM,,,,,,,
12:30,,,,,,,
1,,,,,,,
1:30,,,,,,,
2,,,,,,,
2:30,,,,,,,
3,,,,,,,
3:30,,,,,,,
4,,,,,,,
4:30,,,,,,,
[/table]

Normal Routines

The skeletons of my weeks are pretty much the same week-to-week, when I’m not traveling. As I right this, I can’t help but chuckle at what I wrote last month:

I’m up around 6 AM most days Monday to Friday. I’m working to make that a little bit earlier during the day and would like to eventually get it to 5 AM. Even when I’m awake by 6, I’m not always getting up and being productive right away. Some days I rolled around in bed for nearly a half hour before reading.

Reading before I get out of bed is another staple of my day. In the same way that I encourage people to pay themselves first on their budget, I read first thing each morning to pay my mind first. It’s a great way to make sure I get some reading done almost every day. After breakfast, I head to Crossfit Raeford, where I attend the 8 AM class every day.

Well… you see… this week, I woke up at 7 most days, the opposite of “working to make that a little bit earlier during the day.” Whoops?

Notice the lack of reading? I wasn’t into the book I was trying to read and this was one of two consecutive weeks of my reading dry spell.

At least I made it to the gym three days a week or else you’d think I was a fraud.

Rolling with the Punches

This week looks seriously different from the last snapshot I gave you. There were many things that happened in the days just before this log begins that directly affected what you see here. First, on Friday we closed on a home! I’ve mentioned it in passing a couple of times, but the house was a big deal! (I’ll definitely share more soon.) Second, Sunday was when the good ol’ clocks sprung forward for DST, explaining my later-than-usual wake up times. Third, Casey went into the field on Sunday; you can see on Friday when he came home!

Let’s dig into this schedule a little bit more deeply…

On Monday, there was a lot of getting situated and work- typical Monday things. I also had “before” pictures of the home taken by Erica Goodpaster- Real Estate Photographer. Erica is a member of my gym and took some really great photos! I can’t wait to share them when I share more about the house! Tuesday night, I got a haircut at The Paul Mitchell School in Fayetteville. It cost me less than $25 for a haircut, a deep conditioning, and their clarifying shampoo. The tradeoff is that anything there takes forever. At least, I’m really happy with my haircut! Nothing special happened on Wednesday. Thursday, I got to watch the 17.4 workout announcement at the Box with my friend Angie.

Casey came home on Friday morning, as I mentioned earlier. We got to catch up on the previous week’s episode of [easyazon_link identifier=”B0049P1VHS” locale=”US” tag=”burkedoes-20″]The Walking Dead[/easyazon_link] before having a casual date night at home. I don’t remember for sure, but knowing us we probably made homemade pizza.

Saturday, I was supposed to referee, but I was walking out the door, things changed, so of course I went back to bed. When we got our day started, Casey and I started doing all the things we needed to to get started on the our work on the house. We demo’ed nearly 500 sq ft of tile on our own! After a long day of work on Saturday, we relaxed with [easyazon_link identifier=”B001F6ZIXC” locale=”US” tag=”burkedoes-20″]Sons of Anarchy[/easyazon_link], which we have since finished. After a long day of work on Sunday, we relaxed with the live episode of [easyazon_link identifier=”B0049P1VHS” locale=”US” tag=”burkedoes-20″]The Walking Dead[/easyazon_link].

Moving forward

I would say that of the two things I wanted to improve on, I did make progress on working in batches better, but I still wasn’t good at it. This is one area where I would really like to continue to improve. When it comes to work, I’d prefer to work 6 really intense hours than pitter-patter for 8. For me, batch work is similar. I’d prefer to just really focus and get lots of things done than just meander through progress. Also, for some reason I really believe that batch work will make the difference in helping me get further ahead in crossing things off my to-do list. Similarly, I’ve been wanting to theme my days. I think these two are intimately related lifestyle changes that I’m working on.

I really need to start waking up earlier, too. I’ve been saying this for a while, but I’ve recently started to concretize this goal: I’d like to be attending the 530 AM class at the gym by June 1. After a discussion with a dear friend, we’ve concluded that by May 15, I should be waking up at 430 each day for me to really have success at going to the gym at 530. Time will tell!

Remember, you too can track your own 168 Hour week to track your time! Let me know what you find out when you do!

Tell me: have you ever tracked your time? Did you find it helpful?

168 Hours in a Week: Where Did My Time Go?

// Time Management

Reading Time: 6 minutes

I’ve always been fascinated with “Productivity hacks.” Do things this way and you will magically find a couple of extra hours in your day. The promises have always seemed just a little too good to be true. When I read Laura Vanderkam’s [easyazon_link identifier=”0241199514″ locale=”US” tag=”burkedoes-20″]I Know How She Does it: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time[/easyazon_link] back in August, I learned so much about how other women- the women with the successful careers and lifestyles that I always wanted- spent their time.

In September, I kept my first 168 hour time log. It was a great experience to see where my time was actually going and where I could better and more efficiently spend my time. I even exchanged a couple of emails about my first time log with Ms. Vanderkam! I was so excited and while I didn’t want to do this all the time, I knew this was going to be a routine I wanted to incorporate into my life every once in a while. Then my printer went bonkers and there went that habit that I wanted to incorporate.

When I saw that my blogging friend Bailey had also read [easyazon_link identifier=”0241199514″ locale=”US” tag=”burkedoes-20″]I Know How She Does it[/easyazon_link], I took that as the sign to track my time. Bailey and I agreed on a week in February (just over a month ago) to track and then share our weeks. You can read about Bailey’s week here.

In terms of how this week compared to others, I thought it was a pretty typical week- well, as typical as any week is around here really.

[table caption=“Week 6 of 2017”]
,MONDAY 2/6,TUESDAY 2/7,WEDNESDAY 2/8,THURSDAY 2/9,FRIDAY 2/10,SATURDAY 2/11,SUNDAY 2/12
5AM,Sleep,Sleep,Sleep,Sleep,Sleep,Sleep,Sleep
5:30,Sleep,Sleep,Sleep,Sleep,Sleep,Sleep,Sleep
6,In Bed/Awake,Work,In Bed/Awake,In Bed/Awake,Read,Sleep,Sleep
6:30,Breakfast/Clean,Work,Read,Read,Read,Sleep,Sleep
7,Freelance/Get Ready,Work,Read,Read,Read,Sleep,Sleep
7:30,Read/To Gym,Work,Eat/To Gym,Eat/To Gym,Eat/To Gym,Sleep,Sleep
8,Gym,TV,Gym,Gym,Gym,Cuddle,Cuddle
8:30,Gym,Work,Gym,Gym,Gym,Cuddle,Read
9,To/Home Inspection,Work,From Gym,From Gym,From Gym,Eat/To Gym,Chores
9:30,From/Work,Work,Work,Work,House Organization,Gym,Chores
10,Work,Work,Work,Work,Work,Gym,To Car Wash
10:30,Work,Work,Work,Work,Work,Gym,Drop off Car
11,Work,Work,Work,Work,Work,Home,Laundry
11:30,Work,Work,Work,Work,Work/Shower,Errands,Laundry
12PM,Work,Work,Call Laura,Work,Shower,Shower,Laundry
12:30,Work,Work,Work,Work,Work,Cuddle,Bo Training
1,Work,Work,Work,Work,Work,Freelance,To Fayetteville
1:30,Work,Work,Work,Work,Work,Freelance,August Osage County
2,Lunch,Work,Work,Work,Work,Freelance,August Osage County
2:30,Lunch,Work,Work,Work,Work,Freelance,August Osage County
3,Work,Work,Work,Work,Work,Freelance,August Osage County
3:30,Work,Work,Work,Work,Work,Freelance,August Osage County
4,Work,Work,Work,Work,Work,Freelance,August Osage County
4:30,Freelance ,Work,To Sonia (Taxes),Work,Work,Freelance,August Osage County
5,Freelance ,TV,Tax Meeting with Sonia,Work,Work,Freelance,August Osage County
5:30,Work,Shower,Tax Meeting with Sonia,Work,Work,Freelance,Pick up Car
6,Work,Read,Tax Meeting with Sonia,Work,Read,Get Ready,Clean
6:30,Work,Casey time,To Home,Taco Bell,Read,Dinner,Pack
7,Work/Dinner,House,Dinner,To Casey,Leave,Dinner,Pack
7:30,Work,TV,Freelance,Dinner with Casey,Eyebrow Wax,Dinner,Paint Nails
8,Work,House,Freelance,From Casey,To Ellen’s Girls Night,Dinner,Dinner
8:30,Work,TV,Cuddle,Home,To Ellen’s Girls Night,Movie,Hang out
9,Work,Cuddle,Cuddle,Clean,To Ellen’s Girls Night,Movie,Hang out
9:30,Work,Cuddle,Cuddle,Sit Outside,To Ellen’s Girls Night,Movie,Hang out
10,Work,Sleep,Sleep,Read,To Ellen’s Girls Night,Movie,Cuddle
10:30,Sleep,Sleep,Sleep,Read,To Home,Movie,Sleep
11,Sleep,Sleep,Sleep,Sleep,Cuddle,Sleep,Sleep
11:30,Sleep,Sleep,Sleep,Sleep,Sleep,Sleep,Sleep
[/table]

Normal Patterns

Weeks are rarely “typical” anymore, but the structure here does a good job of representing what usually happens. Here are some of the structures that you’ll see as the skeleton for most weeks: I’m up around 6 AM most days Monday to Friday. I’m working to make that a little bit earlier during the day and would like to eventually get it to 5 AM. Even when I’m awake by 6, I’m not always getting up and being productive right away. Some days I rolled around in bed for nearly a half hour before reading.

Reading before I get out of bed is another staple of my day. In the same way that I encourage people to pay themselves first on their budget, I read first thing each morning to pay my mind first. It’s a great way to make sure I get some reading done almost every day. After breakfast, I head to Crossfit Raeford, where I attend the 8 AM class every day.

RELATED: My First Crossfit Open: 17.1

I’m usually seated at my desk for work by 930 EST, which is 830 CST (my company is Nashville-based). Sometimes over lunch I’ll catch up on phone calls with my sister (I usually catch up with my dad on my drive home from the gym), watch something short on TV, or powernap. Most often, though, I just work through lunch, as I try to finish my closer to 5 PM EST than 6 PM.

After work, I’ll usually make dinner that Casey and I will eat together, do house maintenance tasks such as laundry or dishes, and sneak in an episode of whatever we’re currently Netflix binging. We try to go to bed early, as Casey is usually up at 4 most mornings and I need my beauty sleep.

On weekends, we usually have slower mornings before doing the things that we need to get done. (There is always laundry to do.)

There is No Such Thing As A Normal Week

I really truly mean it when I say this is no typical week around here. I wanted to use this to show what a normal week might look like, but it was through this experience that I was really reminded of this. Here are some of the special things that happened in this particular week.

The home inspection happened on the Monday of this week. Casey was off from work this Monday so we were lucky enough to get to meet the inspector together. It’s also why I took a very deliberate lunch hour on that Monday. I wanted to get the chance to spend time with Casey. Unfortunately, work also really took over on Monday. It’s a big reporting day since Tuesday is a big meeting day (and people need the reports I produce to gather insights and direction for their meetings). There were some issues that came up and I ended up working until 10 PM on Monday and starting again at 6 AM on Tuesday. That meant I did not make it to the gym on Tuesday which was a huge bummer. I also tried to wrap up work a little bit earlier on Tuesday, as a result.

Wednesday, I had a meeting with my tax professional, Sonia of SIR Accounting & Tax. For the record, Sonia is amazing. I’ve already gotten two of my three tax refunds deposited in the bank. As in, I already have cash in my hand! Isn’t that great?!

Thursday, Casey had staff duty, so I picked up some Taco Bell that we were able to share in his office. We rarely have fast food and usually I pack him dinner when I know that he has staff duty, but I didn’t have the time (or interest, frankly) to cook on Thursday night, so Bo and I visited his office with Taco Bell instead. Unfortunately, Bo got sick in my car that night, so when I got home I tried to clean it up as best I could, but I would have to really take care of it over the weekend. Of course, Casey didn’t come home that night which is why I read at night- something I rarely do- and went to bed a little later than usual.

Friday, I got to catch up with my girl Ellen. We pretended to watch chick flicks but really we just talked for a couple of hours. She and her husband are incredibly talented crafty-people. Give their blog a peak.

This weekend was particularly insane. It actually still sticks out in my mind. You see, on the next day (Monday), I would wake up at 3 AM to drive 1.5 hours to Raleigh to fly to Nashville for work. That weekend meant doing everything I needed to do to not be in the house for a week. That meant extra freelance work on Saturday followed by an early Valentine’s Day Date Dinner at locally-owned and recently reopened The Mill at Puppy Creek and a movie. Sunday, I took my car to get detailed because of the accident Bo had had on that Thursday in my car. I didn’t want that smell to sit in the car for a week while it was closed in the airport parking lot. Poor planning on my part, though, because I also had a commitment to see my friend Evie’s performance in August Osage County at the Gilbert Theater in Fayetteville with a couple of girlfriends. Casey very graciously drove me and picked me up. It was a long enough play for him to go home and boy was it so good! Otherwise, I tried to spend as much time with Casey as I could before I was gone.

Things I’d like to do better

As I’m trying to improve my processes for managing it all, there are certainly some things I’d like to improve about my schedule. For example, I’d like to do more of my freelance work in batches of 2-3 hours instead of scattered with one hour here and another hour there. That makes me feel like I’m always playing catch up on my freelance work and I’d like to really be able to go above and beyond. I’d also really like to be able to theme my days. In other words, I’d like to spend every Monday working for Client A, every Tuesday working for Client B, every Wednesday off, every Thursday and Friday working for Client C, and every Saturday focused on this space- or some similar schedule with themed days.

Otherwise, I’m mostly happy with how my schedule looks right now. I’m getting in the time for things that are important to me and though there are some things that I would like to see improved- such as getting out of bed on my first alarm and not my third- but life is constantly evolving and I’m constantly working to improve.

I hope you enjoyed this snapshot into my week!
Tell me: have you ever tracked your time? Did you find it helpful?