Learning how to manage time

Posted on April 23rd, 2012 by Sacha Chua

One of the things I really like about this business experiment is my new time flexibility. I work on a consulting engagement for three to four days a week. I spend the rest of the time on other things: meeting people, learning stuff, practising skills.

I’m still getting the hang of managing that time. It’s been a while since I’ve had large chunks of solo discretionary time to work with. It’s so different from weekend time. During weekends, we usually spend one day handling all the chores and getting the house sorted out, and the other day relaxing and hanging out with each other or with family and friends. These weekdays are different

The weeks will be even more different when I wrap up with this consulting engagement. I’ll probably refer consulting or freelancing gigs to other people for the next little while. I think that by August, I’ll be ready to make the most of full weeks, and I’ll have some ideas to focus on building.

It’s almost as if I’d set things up so that I can learn gradually, although I don’t think I could’ve engineered having such great clients right out of the gate. Instead of going from full-time employment to full-time experimentation, this transition period helps me learn how to manage my time and energy when there’s no one calling the shots but me. The consulting engagement gives me some structure, regular interaction, and a clear task list, and my discretionary days let me practise moving towards my own goals.

Looking at it on a day-by-day basis works well, but not amazingly. I feel energized and engaged throughout the day. When I make my decisions day by day, though, I find that some things keep drifting to the the bottom of my list. Between the habits I’m working on building (ex: study Latin for at least half an hour, draw for at least an hour) and the appointments I make, I sometimes don’t shift into the mood to work on some things, such as responding to mail or working on book summaries. It’s a little more embarrassing because I know time isn’t the limiting factor. It’s more about interest and energy.

If I plan my day more, I can probably shift into the right mindset easily. For example, I might make a short list of current projects using Org Mode, the Emacs-based organizer that I use. I can set aside small chunks of time to make steady progress on the kinds of projects that benefit from that, such as languages. For projects that benefit from larger chunks, I might dedicate a 4-hour slot for concentrated work, and choose different projects to work on each time. Planning will also help me make progress and track it even if I’m working with small steps, such as with habits.

Here are the current projects I’m working on, how far I want to take them, and why:

Ongoing habits:

Write: If I don’t take notes, I can’t review them. Writing helps me understand, remember, and revisit ideas. Time commitment: At least 30 minutes a day. Chunks of 1-3 hours, the occasional quick note.
Practise drawing: I want to communicate more effectively. Drawing is both fun and useful. This also includes learning how to use different tools. Time commitment: at least 30min each day, often chunks of 1-2 hours.
Finish the exercises in this beginner’s Latin textbook: I want to learn Latin because it hacks my brain. Besides, schoolboys before managed to do it, so why shouldn’t I? Time commitment: 30min each day
Garden: Water and weed the garden as needed; plant new seeds occasionally. Time commitment: 15 minutes a day
Cook: Prepare bulk meals. Time commitment: 3-4 hour sprint.

Special projects:

Quantified Awesome: Make this even better so that I use it to track and analyze more data.
Miscellaneous work: Supporting a Rails site, etc.

More posts about: business, life, planning // 4 Comments »

Short URL: http://sachachua.com/blog/p/23316

Priya.D

“Cook: Prepare bulk meals. Time commitment: 3-4 hour sprint.”

Ha ha…3-4 hours for cooking??? Really,you will be making delicious food all time I think!!!!
http://sachachua.com Sacha Chua

We tend to cook simple meals in large quantities. For example, last Saturday, I prepared 16 portions of beef bulgogi lunches. It took me around two hours to make and package that. Now that the lunches are in our chest freezer, it’s easy to pull out lunch and take it to work. We have curry chicken and a few other meals in the freezer, too, so W- and I can enjoy some variety. The system works well for us – we hardly ever eat out!
Jay

It is hard, when you can choose to do anything and you have all day, to keep those commitments, like 15 minutes do this and 45 minutes do that.

Sometimes the weather is too great to stay inside, and sometimes you stumble on a new thing that you are so fired up to learn that nothing is more important.

Is it just me? Have I just lost all self-discipline after being self-employed for too long? Why is that important goal I set suddenly less important in the moment?

These are the things I struggle with in the self-employed life.
James

I just got a nice 20-quart pot for that very reason… cooking in bulk is magic!

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