RW Makeover: Not all was lost this week…
Now if you are like me, after fuming over the bad luck you’ve had recently you try to find the silver lining. Not having my computer for a week taught me a lot about my computer habits. I paid attention to the times I really missed my computer and why. I realized that aside from actual work and research, my computer does the following:
-It is a welcome distraction from the at-home life with four little kids. I found myself yearning to jump online to escape the realities of changing diapers and breaking up fights. Whenever I felt I needed a mental (and at times physical) break from chasing after my crew I found myself sitting at my desk wanting to logon.
-It helps me to transition to work mode. After I get my daughter off to school in the afternoon and the boys down for a nap it is time to get to work. I realized that I don’t like to sit down and get right to it. I like to get online and check out a few writing-related sites to transition from mom to writer.
-My computer is also my link to the outside world. With four little kids I don’t get out much right now (too many hats, gloves, snow and cold-it’s just not worth it). Chatting online with friends and visiting virtual watercoolers is my link to the outside world.
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Is there anything wrong with all of this? Well, yes and no. After being without my computer for a week and noticing all of the extra time I had during the day, I am pretty convinced that I waste a lot of time online. So this is what I’m going to do differently:
-I purchased a timer. I’m not eliminating my frivolous time online entirely because I feel it does serve a purpose (mainly maintaining my sanity), but I am going to limit that time.
-I am going to change the way I set up my to-do list. Let’s face it, when you work at home the boundaries between tasks for work and home are blurred all of the time, so why fight it. Previously I had a to-do list for aspects of home management and another one for work. Now tasks for work and home are on the same list and divided into categories. All phone calls are listed together. The same for e-mails to return, websites to visit, etc. I think this will help me accomplish more of the smaller work-related duties throughout the day. It should also keep me from getting online many times throughout the day to do something that should take 2 minutes (but ends up taking 20 minutes since I always end up checking e-mail, checking out some favorite blogs, etc.).
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So, this was the silver lining to my frustrating week. It doesn’t have to take being without your computer to evaluate your time management. Track your use of time for a few days and see what strategies you can come up with to get the most out of every minute of the day. [ja]  Â
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Dec 11, 2006 RW Makeover
I love this blog, because I always learn something new whenever I visit (either from the RWs themselves or from the comments)…. It’s not as difficult for me to transition from kids to work since I only have one baby, but I do have a lucrative and fun other job as an information architect. It’s not easy to switch back and forth between mom time, consulting time, and writing time. I love the idea of grouping “like” activities for speedy dispatch, rather than attempting to parse out my three lives as if they have no impact on each other. Of course, this means I tend to write out grocery lists on the same page as my interview notes!
Michelle – I am intrigued: what’s an “information architect”?
Jen – Per your last post, so glad you got to see your article in print, and per this post, glad you found a silver lining. I am a WAHM of two — one in elementary school, one on his way in the fall (!) so my “official” work hours will shoot from 14 hours (two full days of child care) to 35 in September. For now, tho, I do the juggle a lot; and I seek out connections online a lot, too. Definitely need to rein that in some. I get a lot of, “Why are you on the computer AGAIN, Mom?”
With today a “snow day” for my 1st grader…. we’ll see how much I get done work-for-pay-wise. I did record a “holiday special” marathon this weekend, so right now the two kids are watching “Frosty.” Will likely dole out those shows throughout the day — between playing in snow and baking cookies — so I can get a little done.:-)
Great post, Jen! I had same problem — I’d drop my son off at school, return home, and check e-mail/surf my sites. The problem is that sometimes I’d look up and two hours were gone. Now I have a checklist/routine: I check e-mail, answer the most important, check out a list of favorite sites, then get to work. (I try to make a list of things to do the night before so I can hit the ground running.) I tried cutting out the transition time altogether, but like you I really need it.
Today my schedule is shot, though — the little one is home with a bad cold and conjunctivitis, and I’m getting ready to bring the cat to the vet. I don’t think this is going to be a good vet visit. (He’s got kidney failure, and he took a turn for the worst last night.)
Ooh. I called you “Jen.” You may be strictly a “Jennifer” (as is one of my former work colleagues). Sorry if I goofed!
Kara
Hi Kara — An IA (not to derail) designs the structure of a web site or software application. I focus on enterprise sites (big company sites) and web portals, and do everything from create blueprints of pages to design transaction flows (booking tickets, buying stuff) to performing usability checks. Sometimes I say “I reduce calls to your call center” and other times I say “I help a site make LOTS of money, not just make money.”
Jennifer, grouping like tasks such as phone calls is an excellent idea! I also agree that you need to keep one combined to-do list for work and home. Like you said, why fight it? I’ve learned a couple of things that have really helped me to organize my day. I used to write really long lists of things I had to do today and quite honestly, I would be overwhelmed from the moment I started my day. Now what I do is keep a master list of things to do and write next to each item a quick estimate of how long it will take, allowing an extra 20-30% for the unexpected. I then choose my top priorities for the day, according to how many working hours I have in my day. I number these items 1, 2 and 3 in order of urgency/importance and get to work on the #1 priority. Some days, that’s all I manage to get done, but at least I can say I accomplished the most important thing! I have also learned not to schedule every minute of my day because inevitably things come up that need your time and attention and if you are already feeling behind schedule, you won’t be able to deal with them effectively or even graciously for that matter. I do think it’s important to designate one morning or afternoon each week for administrative tasks. This is a good time to pay bills, go through the piles on your desk, toss out files and papers you no longer need, and archive old project files. And when you have a spare 5 or 10 minutes? Look at your master to-to list. Break a larger project into smaller tasks. Maybe you can’t write a query letter, but you could pull together all of your resource material.
I’m happy for you and I don’t even know you! Isn’t it amazing what we allow ourselves to learn when we’re put into situations that are less than ideal? Thanks for your insights and bravo for taking steps to change what’s not working in your life. While you’ll have more time to do work, maybe with some of that time that you’re reclaiming, you can take a walk to the park or do something you’d normally not do.
Dang, I accidentally deleted the rest of my comment above — I’ve been doing that a lot lately. That post makes me sound like a complete jerk. So…yadda yadda, that last line is tongue in cheek, and I actually had on-topic comments about time, scheduling, and generally getting things done. Most of which I have now forgotten. Except that if I don’t get up at 5:30 a.m. and hit the gym first, my day just doesn’t ever reach full throttle. And that if I front-load family time early in the day, my fam is just fine when I retreat back to my workspace for hours on end.