Checking Luggage: Adventures in Time Bending 9178

ChrisRU

ChrisRU

Well-Known Member
Hey it’s a blog! The blog section is hurting for content. My last one died miserably- a whole 13 posts. Oh well, we can't live in the past. To the future we go!

So why do we need to bend time? Where does the time go? How about a thought experiment:
  • We have 168 hours/week.
  • Assume we spend ~40 hours a week at work 🙄
  • Optimistically sleep 42 hours a week (6h x 7)
  • Commute 10 hours/week (still need that helicopter)
  • Spend 10 hours/week at school
  • Assume 16 hours per weekend devoted to other planned activities/obligations
That leaves us with an average of ~7/hours a day left over to work with. NFW. Of course this omits a lot of crap like getting ready for work, preparing/eating meals, etc. It still seems like a big number. But then you step back and realize giving Netflix a try was a bad idea. Or that night when you just chilled out and had a few beers, you could have done something more productive. So without going all Matthew McConaughey on the space time continuum, there are real opportunities for us to be more efficient.

That's what this blog is about. Reorganizing my time and trying to be more productive. A component of this will include bikes. I have not ridden a bike since Thanksgiving. I'll look for other things to throw in along the way. I'm not training to ride across Alaska or any other massively ambitious goals, so I expect this may end up being a boring read, but I'm going to give it a go anyway.

Some updates:
  • I'm in school, and will be for awhile. I'm going to avoid talking about it, but it’s a cloud that hangs around a sucks time and energy away. There are definitely funnerer things I'd rather be focusing on, but I committed myself to getting it done.
  • My wife and I are expecting our first kid May 31. I don't know how to do the math on that. Probably includes negative or imaginary numbers.
  • Lists! Maybe this blog should be called adventures in formatting. Props to @gtluke and @soundz for the board upgrade.
  • Goals: I have some in mind for this year, but I'm starting small. Tonight I just want to spend 45mins-hour doing something fitness related.
So here we go. No pictures today, I'll try to do better next time 😎
 
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Welcome to the world of time-bending. You will need those skills as a new parent! You are joining the company of some master time-benders, specifically @kush comes to mind.
 
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You forgot crapping. How much time do we spend there. In fact, I'm on the can now. Sorry no pics.
 
I had to check your math. My schedule is very similar to yours and I can't find that 7 hours no matter how hard I try. I first expected the final answer to be a negative number.
 
time is like extra space at the house - it mostly gets filled with junk.....purge and be free!

bust of luck with the kiddo..
 
10 hours commuting?! I hope you ride to work. An hour each way is obscene in a car. Says the kid who has a 18 minute drive or 30 minute bike ride.
 
I used to do auto detailing and one of my clients would take a helicopter from Princeton to Manhattan some days. His wife was the chatty type and told me it was $15k a day.
 
Ok so now I'm back at a computer I'll say more. Just last night @AndyP and I were talking about this. We do a lot of stuff. I mean you know as well as anyone that we do a lot of shit. And when we tell people they say stuff like, "Wow you must always be tired" or "jeez how do you manage" but I think our society has just gotten so GD soft it's ridiculous. I mean, doing stuff is just normal, it's what we're supposed to do. If we aren't taking care of something or making life better, then what the hell else are we doing? We sit around staring at each other saying shit like "PI PARTY" or "happy st patricks day" and inane stuff like that. We're so pathetic that filling out an insurance form or printing & signing something can take someone 2 weeks to finally "get around to". For shit sake, how is it so hard to sign & scan a document?

I'm also liking your post and I recommend that people start liking more. A few months ago someone told me they've been reading my blog for years. YEARS. I mean, a few years ago I didn't even know the person and now I do, I had zero idea that he was reading. People need to know when the content they provide is something that others enjoy. As someone who adds content on & off, nothing makes me want to quit more than getting absolutely zero feedback. It's something I also need to get better at: giving feedback. If you read something and like it, click the like button. Positive feedback is appreciated and it helps motivate people.

Be the ball. Eat more fiber.
 
When you have kids its harder to find time for yourself and be productive. I kinda don't like the whole notion of having to be productive with ones time. Sometimes I really like fucking off, it gives my mind a chance to re-boot, de-stress and sorta freestyle it. Real luxury is the ability to do nothing and enjoy it.
 
after you said mcconaughey, i read the rest of this in his voice
2015-lincoln-mkc-i-just-liked-it-featuring-matthew-mcconaughey-large-8.jpg
 
Norm said:
You forgot crapping. How much time do we spend there
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This should always just be subtracted from work time

Good luck with your time bending Chris. If I have learned anything in the 355 days that I have been a parent its that all of our situations are completely unique. I hope you hit lottery like me and have a baby that sleeps well and is almost (to date) never sick....thus allowing me to have (with alot of help from my wife) a pretty regular routine.
 
And we're back! I'd like to point out that the time bending theme embedded in this blog is simply documenting my own journey with juggling and achieving a balance that I am happy with. I'd be remiss to not acknowledge that this is something we all face. As @Dominos points out, we have some real masters here, including Team-O and the legendary @kush.

Somewhat relevant, the discussion of family responsibility reminded me of some past reading I've done on the double burden, or second shift phenomenon. Interesting stuff if you're into labor history or cultural norms and perceptions, probably boring as hell otherwise. I don't want to stir up any controversy so we don't need to discuss any viewpoints here. That fact is time bending is real, but wage statistics reflect that it's not fought on equal terms yet.

@Norm, I tend to agree, people are soft. I think I'll address some of your points and @pooriggy's in a later post. But that small tedious crap that takes up time in our lives is so easy to push off. @UtahJoe knows whats up, only deuce on the clock.

So who wore green to work yesterday? This guy did. I'm not sure why I own three different green ties. Any good people stories from yesterday?

Being Productive
I managed to get out for a run yesterday. Surprising I felt good. 45 minutes, I did 2+ miles, .5 mile cool down walk, then another 1+ mile, followed by some more walking. Pace was nothing to get excited about, but I got the HR rate up. After this I rebuilt my MotoTi 29er, that's going up on the F/S block shortly.

A workout tonight may be a bit ambitious, I won't be home until 10pm but I'm penciling in the same workout as above for this evening.

Here is your pic of the day. Port Authority ceiling repairs. These are regular eyesores in the areas where the water doesn't just drip from the ceilings. There will be plenty of more time for one of my favorite past times, complaining about our region's travel infrastructure.
IMG_20150317_161439581_HDR.jpg
 
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ChrisRU said:
@Norm, I tend to agree, people are soft. I think I'll address some of your points and @pooriggy's in a later post. But that small tedious crap that takes up time in our life's is so easy to push off
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I'm not saying that people should strive to be productive 24/7. I think rest and "doing nothing" is under-appreciated in our society. I said to someone the other day we bust our balls our whole life so we can retire and do nothing. I think we need to learn to do nothing properly. But I think what you point out, the tedious crap is what makes it hard to properly do nothing. If you have it in your head that you'll pay that bill or flip the laundry after you sit down, then the whole experience of sitting down becomes a drag because you know you're sitting down with the goal of becoming untired enough to get up and do something.

In a nutshell, I want to sit down with the knowledge that I don't have to get up for anything other than a beer, some ice cream, or to take a crap on anyone's time.
 
I have pretty much the same schedule as chris: 2 hrs of commuting every day, work, school which I hate, etc. One of the problems with a long commute is that it gives you a bit too much time to ponder. Sometimes I think, "you know, if my wife would cook every once in awhile it would really help me out..." (I prepare 100% of the food consumed in our house) but then I acknowledge a couple of things:
  • my wife is basically the sole provider right now. she works very hard so that I can work a job which is essentially a resume booster and go to school.
  • different people have different definitions of "soft". I may be able to work longer and sleep less than my wife but I am also built differently. I am hyperactive, she is not.
  • The 3 times she has cooked since I met her the food was inedible. Beyond gross. So there is no choice.
  • I am happy. This is the big one. Although we have little free time, I enjoy my life.
Just a short example.

So due to the full schedule I don't have lots of time for training or other things that I'd like to do but I live a good life with a wonderful woman and I don't take that for granted. This is my point, even with little to no free time, is the life we live bad?

That being said, I started doing the 30 minute p90x3 videos (found a torrent and "democratically aquired" them) and they're brutal if you don't cheat. They're only 30-35 min long so they're not a huge time commitment. I puke once a week or more from them. Exercise in a small box for those of us pressed for time.
 
I like the blog Chris! I too have a child due in May, so my time management is about to get crazy on a whole different level.
 
One of the things that I found that has come with having a child is the amount of time I am forced to do nothing. Granted, my wife works nights so depending on the day, im watching him for long periods of time...But when im watching him...I cant watch TV, I cant play on my phone or the computer...I mean I can try, but he will make it impossible about about 60 seconds...Like this

Me: let me just see whats doing on the board while robert is playing with his toys....takes phone from pocket
Robert: OMG! my favorite toy on earth....GIVE IT HERE NOW!
Me: You just chew on it, no, its mine, go ride one of the dogs around
Robert: But Mom lets me use her phone as a sledge hammer...GIVE ME YOUR PHONE AND I WONT HAVE KILL YOU
Me: NO
Robert: Have it your way... (COMMENCE SCREAMING)
Me: ok, ok, phone back in pocket, lets play tug of war with the dog instead.

So I am forced to just sit and either watch him play and veg out a bit...Something I was previously not used...normally I can never sit still and I just keep doing shit until I fall asleep. Its actually a nice change of pace.
 
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