One of the great changes - perhaps the greatest change - since the arrival of The Plague and its accompanying change in schedule - is the fact that my actual life schedule is approaching that of a "normal" human being.
The Cistercian Order had (and perhaps still has) a rather logical breakdown in the way a person should live their lives: 8 hours of prayer, 8 hours of work, 8 hours of sleep. Substitute "living" for "prayer" for we non-religious, and you have the makings of a good life.
So where has my schedule fallen apart in the past? Work. It has always been work.
The minimum full time workday for anyone in modern society, hourly or salary, is 8 hours. Add to that - for the salaried - that one is paid to complete tasks, not just for hours work. Without almost any effort at all, that 8 hours immediately spreads out.
My typical work day - pre- Plague - saw me leaving home at 0700, commuting to work (shortest commute in 24 years, only 20 minutes) - and working until 1800 or so. Lunch, once upon a time a separate endeavor, was crammed into the actual work day at my desk. Commuting - if I left at 1800 - took another 20-30 minutes, so we will say 1830. For those counting along at home, that is a little more than 8 hours.
This of course, impacted everything else. I would then try to have a life outside of work, which would then eat into my time allocated for sleep. On the whole I ended up tired and unrewarded in my personal life.
The Plague has brought things much closer to a form of balance.
The commute time has been the greatest change - it has changed to < 1 minute from 20 minutes as I amble my way to my new workspace, a hastily converted craft table which is now my effective "home office". That alone has given me back an hour of my day. Additionally, not being in the office has helped in another aspect as it is much more difficult for people to just call in or pop in for a quick question. All contact is completely managed through a computer, which is there for my convenience - it is much easier to manage communication through a screen.
My work day is not quite 8 hours yet on a regular basis - although there are days that it has been! -, but it looks a great deal closer to the ideal - and that has included a period of time which we can call "lunch" but now includes a period set aside every day for training or literature review. It is also forcing me to work more efficiently, which is in itself also not a bad development.
Now, to actually intake into my consciousness that I am one of those people that really requires 8 hours of sleep a night...
TB I've convinced myself in the past that I only need 4-5 hours of sleep a night...I remember those days of leaving at 5am and getting home well past 7pm, then working from home until I passed out. I'm glad you're being "forced" to spend less time on work! Now I'm convinced I need a minimum of 10 hours sleep a night lol...not that I get it, but it would be nice some days! Can I still get away with calling it "beauty sleep"??? :)
ReplyDeleteRain, it is a fine thing to try for!
DeleteTruly, I am really at the point where if I do not get enough sleep, my body keeps trying to tell me that. I just need to accept it and be okay with it. A struggle for a man who, for the most part, has been able to bend his body to his will.
Good luck with the sleep part. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda! I cannot control how many times I wake up at night, but at least I can control when I go to bed.
DeleteA good analysis of your life at the moment. We work from home, and have done for a number of years. Sometimes it is difficult to mix work and non work periods and they sometimes get muddled up together, which then makes for a muddled mind when you don't know what it is you are supposed to be doing! But we are together for all of our day, and that is priceless.
ReplyDeleteCreative and intelligent people need 8 hours!
Thanks Vera! That is a helpful insight from someone that has been at this for a while. We have to work around each other a bit.
DeleteI am trying to stick to the eight hour schedule. I can at least force my hand on when I go to bed and when I wake up. The rest, it seems, needs work.