Where Does the Time Go?

I work from home, and the hours are fractured: Work time flows into personal time and then into mom time. In fact, I'm so obsessed with time I recently wrote a book on it, The Book of Times. While it's not specifically about how I spend my hours, I thought it would be interesting to find out where all my nibbled time ends up. So, I decided to keep a log for five straight weekdays. I ignored work and child care time (4 hours a day for each), and instead focused on what I deemed to be my giant time sucks: the dishwasher, the dog, the constant clutter … click next to see my results!

Time Spent: 2 hours, 5 minutes

I’m always picking up socks, trousers and dog toys and the like, and putting them in their rightful homes. But it turns out I only do this for 10 to 30 minutes a day—I would have guessed an hour! I’m on the fence whether this is too much time or not enough.

Time Spent: 75 minutes

I do a load a day. The time-sucky part is not doing the laundry, but putting the laundry away. I can fold a basket in 5 to 7 minutes, but it takes another 10 to distribute the folded goods to the correct place in the house. Resolution: Make all family members pick up their laundry and take it to their own rooms.

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Time Spent: 2 hours, 52 minutes

Astounding, right? I spend at least 10 minutes a day hunting for my cell phone—sometimes more. And then there are the random items that constantly go missing: pencil sharpeners, glasses, homework, permission slips and my kid's Aaron Rodgers jersey. One day I spent 45 minutes hunting all over the house for our wedding photos. They’re still lost.

Time Spent: 50 minutes

I’m not naturally organized (obviously). I have to work hard to keep important things and people from falling through the cracks. Every day, I spend 5 minutes making or reviewing my to-do list and then another 5 keeping the monthly family calendar up to date. 10 minutes a day = immeasurable sanity.

Time spent: 3 hours, 45 minutes

Holy Canine. I spend the biggest chunk of my "discretionary time" feeding, walking and playing with Patrick, our Border Terrier. He gets a walk in the morning, a walk at midday and another in the evening. Plus, I take 10 or 20 minutes out of my work-day day to play fetch with him or take him on errands. Then again, if I was working in an office, I’d spend nearly as much time gossiping or kvetching with office buddies. My dog is my replacement BFAW (best friend at work).

Photo via Jonboy Mitchell/Flickr

Time Spent: 110 minutes

Embarrassing! No wonder I can’t finish my book club books. I read more on the weekends, really—I do! But most weeknights I fall into bed with big ambitions, but little energy. I read for 20 minutes and then fall asleep. At least I don’t need Ambien.

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Time spent: 3 hours, 30 minutes

Nice life! I go to three yoga classes on weekdays, and each one lasts 1 to 1.5 hours. If I include travel time, though, my yoga time would swell to 4 hours and 30 minutes. Aha! This might be where some of that nibbled time goes.

Time Spent: 60 minutes

Full disclosure: My husband does one big grocery trip on the weekend. During the week I do two small trips for fresh vegetables and last minute dinner items. NBD.

Time Spent: 3 hours … over 5 weekdays

My halo is shining bright. But this week was an anomaly. I was working on the annual fundraiser for my son’s public school (feel free to bid on items!) and also on the website for the charity on whose board I serve, The Rosa Vera Fund. Most weeks I only log 2 to 3 volunteer hours and some weeks just zero. I do love the hours spent being generous—maybe if I get more organized, I’ll have more time to be charitable.

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Time Spent: 45 minutes

When work gets tedious, I check my inbox. Not for email, but for the daily sales from places like One Kings Lane, Gilt or Rue La La. I love to look at rugs, prints and vintage goods (favorite purchase: a side table from the set of The Life of Pi). I’m more of a browser than a buyer, but the activity seriously chills me out. A recent study found that web surfing makes workers more productive over the long run. Time well spent.