Experiment in Time Tracking
A little while back, I started an experiment. I began tracking my time while working. I record what project I’m working on and the type of activity. I’m a contractor, so I bill hourly, but that wasn’t the primary reason I began time tracking. I’d been billing my hours just fine with less rigorous tracking for years. Instead, I hoped that doing regular tracking would help me account for how much time I spent in different places.
Sleep
The closest I ever get to feeling like I have a superpower is when I get enough sleep. When this happens, it’s as if my mind suddenly reaches a higher altitude. I realize from this new vantage point how foggy it has been, how dull. With sleep, I’m more functional. I have better insights and get more done. Jud Brewer talks about curiosity and an expansion mindset versus anxiety and a contraction mindset.
Goal for the Week
It’s easy for a week to come off the rails. Unexpected meetings start filling your calendar; new tasks clog your inbox out of nowhere; a sudden emergency demands your full attention. At the level of specific items, each one of them might be unexpected. But we can be pretty sure in advance that something unknown is going to arise, even if we can’t predict what it will be. Amidst all this, how do we retain some level of focus, some modicum of attention?
Weekly Review
Last time I talked about my practice for starting the week off right. I have a mirror event for wrapping up the week: my Weekly Review. I do this review at the end of the day on Friday. My team has a great practice of getting together and showing off what we’ve built that week, so I make the time right after. The Weekly Review serves several vital purposes: capture, reflection, and shut down.
The Week Ahead
Like many folks, I’ve been working entirely from home for over a year now. Remote working brings many benefits, but one challenge has been establishing a daily and weekly routine. When I was going into the office, the commute there and back performed many secret jobs to bookend my day. Sitting on the train in the morning, I could glance at my calendar and task manager and start to think over my day to come.