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More about time

Posted on April 12, 2011

The school holidays are very good for my productivity. Weird, but true. It’s like the old days, before school and preschool, when work was wedged into one- to two-hour bursts during sleep. And after hours. Let’s never forget that.

It’s an efficient way to work. You sit down, you do your thing, you move on. Given more time, I tend to waste more time. I have no defence.

One thing I’m finding this time around, however, is that it’s easier to get the interviews and the research done – the boys are happy to amuse themselves in daylight hours. But oh so much harder to get the actual words down on paper. I’m simply not as good at writing at night as I once was.

I blame the gym. I’m just too tired to make sense.

Do you agree? Does more time equal more wasted time for you?


[image: ToddManring/etsy}

17 Comments

  1. MultipleMum

    I am not much of a time waster (mostly) but I just want more of it. I can’t squeeze my life adequately into 24 hours a day x

  2. River

    I definitely waste more time now that I have more of it to waste. I used to run my household like clockwork when the kids were little and at school. Now I’m on my own and I still have some sort of routine, but it doesn’t seem to matter so much. Plus I spend an awful lot of time on the computer.

  3. Naturally Carol

    I reckon the older your kids are the more brainpower that is demanded of you to care for them..so I think your bod is more energised from the gym and your brain tireder from kids! That’s my theory anyhow.

  4. Thea

    Yep!
    That is all.

  5. Jodie at Mummy Mayhem

    I think you and I are very much alike in this regard. Same for me. If I have less time, I get more done. Yesterday, I had a 30 minute window to do some tidying up, and I’m quite sure I did more in that time than if I’d had 3 hours. I race around!

    I know you like to write close to deadlines, and I do that too.

    Al, did you study for exams just a few days out, if not the night before? *puts hand up*

    x

  6. Cate Bolt

    What I’m hearing here is “if I had more children, I would be more productive”.

    Stop me when I’m wrong.

  7. Leah

    Getting up and going for the school run has totally changed my ways – well until school holidays when I revert to an internet reading coffee drinking pyjama wearing sloth for way too many morning hours!!

  8. therhythmmethod

    This is true for me too – if I have to manage my time carefully, i get more done.
    The gym shouldn’t make you tired, maybe you’re on the computer too much? *Ducks for cover*

  9. Seana

    PS I used to work a lot at night but something went pear-shaped when I turned 40 and I just can’t do it any more.

    Also am now spending my evenings beating teenager round the head with a rolled up newspaper as he’s forever drumming JUST when the twins have got to sleep.

  10. Seana

    Aaarrgghh, I am so unproductive in school holidays… in fact, I totally give up any notions of being able to complete any tasks. The big boys do allow moments of respite in amongst the drums and bagpipes, but the little ones, not so much… and there’s so much washing/cooking… hmmm… Mind you I am not averse to parking them in front of the TV, as now, yes at 6.53am… don’t judge me!

  11. Deer Baby

    I’m better with a deadline. I find the more time I have, the more I dawdle along. In fact, better get back to it.

  12. Baby Buggy Boat

    Writing in the evenings just doesn’t happen for me anymore. When I do manage to spit the words out they are complete gobbledygook!
    I totally agree with you about getting less done in more time too – I need a deadline to focus my mind!
    xx

  13. Cate

    definitely! I’ve always subscribed to the theory that a task will expand to fill the space of time provided for it. The more time I have, the longer a task takes. It once took me an entire afternoon to change the sheets! (oops!)
    xxxCate

  14. InkPaperPen

    i got more done today than I normally would – and i had less spare time than usual. So i completely agree that the more time you have the less you seem to achieve!

    School holidays…a whole new world for me. I still have both boys at home all day

    Gill xo

  15. Denyse Whelan

    Hi, I hear you 🙂
    I am letting hours go by without really being particularly busy.
    I would like to ‘blame’ these things:
    – no more going to work
    – discovering twitter
    – discovering blogging

    I LOVE it. XX

  16. allison tait

    Yes. Tired. Much more tired than when I was sitting on my backside drinking coffee. But I am feeling better in all other areas, so I can’t complain too much.

  17. Lucy

    I had ALL day today to myself. Got half of five things started, nothing finished. I amble.

    Why is it the fault of the gym? Tired by nightfall?

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