Track the usefulness of my new schedule

Despite my lack of posting on the matter, I have been keeping track the usefulness of my now-not-so-new schedule, and thankfully it has been GREAT for balancing my life-life with work- and school-life. Not withstanding recent health-related goings-on, having Mondays “off” and reducing my hours at all three (and a half) jobs has allowed me to keep up with demands AND find time for leisure and rest to boot.

There remain only five weeks of classes, and I’ve definitely found a routine that works for me so I’ll stick with it through to the end.

Monday this week:
3 hours study time – mostly just reading
3.5 hours working at the bookshop
2 hours sushi lunch with long-time, very cool friend

After our late lunch, when I arrived home at 3:30-ish, I could and should have resumed studying, but I didn’t. Marty and I just puttered around the workshop some more :o)

It wasn’t as productive a day as it ought to have been, but lunch out with Fuss sure was fun!

Unfortunately, my plan to stay after work for up to an hour to stay on top of my school reading hasn’t been going very well either … seems for some reason that when I’m done work I just want to get the hell outta there. But it’s a good plan, so I’m going to keep trying, even a couple days a week.

This weekend I have a book to read for a book review, and I have a pharmacology quiz (online). Plus, I really MUST finalize my topic and plan for my political action project.

Busy, busy, busy!

I used my Monday very wisely this week, and yet I’m STILL no closer to on top of my school work. Some of that can be blamed on the fact that I have only one of five required books so far. But sadly, the real blame belongs right between my ears. I fuss and fiddle, playing at school, but I’m not actually doing the work, and that’s why I’m falling behind.

However, without Monday off to at least skim the week’s readings, discussion topics, and assignments, AND to work at the shop (& for Kate, this time), I’d be completely lost by now.

Next week I’ve tentatively booked a lunch-visit with a friend… BAD ME!!! Bad, bad! me!!... That is NOT how these Mondays were meant to be used.

Just this once.

Yesterday was a whirlwind of activity, but a good day, all in all.

• excellent morning – dishes, jog, putter
• worked at bookshop 9:00 to 12:30 – did some of the bookkeeping and spent two hours just cleaning and tidying the office – what a MESS!!
• came home to M’s having made us lunch … mmmm
• sat down to do school work around 3:00 p.m. and, with the exception of a few breaks (below), stayed at it until 10:00 p.m.
• took a break from school work to take advantage of this heat wave we’re enjoying – I walked up to the bank and grocery store
• took another break later on to welcome my Mom and her beau in as they were dropping off our new cubby doors (Ma’s beau is quite a talented artist and carpenter)
• took a break to watch Jeopardy and make a pizza that was SUPPOSED to be for today’s lunches but which we grazed on ‘til it was all gone :o(
• washed up all lunch and dinner-prep dishes while pizza was in the oven

As this was the first of my new Monday schedule, I was probably somewhat more motivated to stay on track than I will be eight weeks from now, but I can definitely already perceive the benefit of having a whole day reserved for school and work at the shop, though I may reverse the order next week and stay home in the morning, work at the shop in the afternoon. That will allow me to have the house to myself during school time – fewer interruptions.

Mondays – four hours a.m. school work; four hours p.m. bookshop
Tuesdays through Friday – SRA for full days

Don’t know when I’m supposed to work for the other two, but will just have to squeeze them into my evenings.

Must keep mornings for ME – for exercising, meditating, puttering

The need for this goal:

- to record what I do with my Monday time and whether it frees up time throughout the week (evenings, weekends) to keep up with everything else (quality time with M, housekeeping, healthy habits, social time etc.)
- monitor my stress level throughout the week – are Mondays off actually allowing me to keep stress in check?
- financial implications, if any
- can I even adhere to such a schedule?
- is it working for everyone else(employers, M)?

So far this morning has been like any other – make a tea, wash yesterday’s dishes, swallow vitamins, check e-mail and 43T, meet D for a jog, come home for breakie and putter/prep for the day. But I think it will be important to keep a close eye for the next month or so on how this trial is (or isn’t) of benefit.