AuburnChick's Adventures

Have you ever stopped to consider just how much time you waste on a weekly basis?

Last Saturday, after attending the first of six monthly in-class sessions, I sure did.

For those who think that the road to teacher certification is easy, take a good look at the picture below…

That is my dining room table.

It is cluttered with all of my class materials (neatly organized in binders, thank you very much).

Two nights ago, I spent five hours working on one assignment.

Which leads me back to the point of this post.

Just how much time do we waste during the week?

On Saturday, after going through a few hours of panic when presented with assignment details and due dates and wondering how the heck I was going to get everything done, I did a quick rundown of my time.

First of all, there are 168 hours in a week.

Next, I approximated the amount of time I spend on the biggest areas of my life:

• Sleeping – 49 hours per week (average of seven hours per night)
• Regular work week – 60 hours
• Personal grooming (nighttime showers and morning routine)- 6 hours
• Education classes – 25 hours (instructors say 18-20, but I overestimated)
• Church  (round up to include travel time) – 2 hours
• Blogging – 5 hours

What’s left is 21 hours of unaccounted time.

Now, to be fair, this doesn’t include Facebook or blog reading time, but still.  Those activities don’t really cut in too much, and I’m usually doing other things at the same time.

And so I ask…where is the rest of the time going?

I am already, at times, overwhelmed with everything I have going on right now.  I am concerned in two ways:  1)  That I’m not smart enough to complete the complex assignments that I have ahead of me, and 2) That I won’t have enough time with the very busy job that I have.

Taking a hard look at the numbers made me realize that I steal time away from myself, so, in essence, concern #2 should really not be a concern.

Looking at the numbers also made me appreciate how quickly time goes by.

I usually have a hard time getting up in the morning.  I am guilty of hitting the snooze six times (ten minutes per snooze).

Now, however, I only allow myself two or three slaps to the alarm clock before getting out of bed.

That is huge for me and is evidence of how much more I value and appreciate my time.

So, what about you?  Have you ever done a similar analysis, or am I the only nerdy one?

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: time management |