A day in my life | 2016
I've been working on tracking my time this month, so I thought I'd share one of my days with you all, since I haven't done that in a while.
At first I thought, oh, I should pick a more typical day, but then I looked over my week and realized that none of my days are "typical" and I was reminded that "typical" is something that kind of doesn't exist.
So.
This is from two weeks ago, when the husband was doing some training, so our schedule was running earlier than usual.
5:30-the alarm goes off, we curse the day we were born (how did we get up this early for so long before??), and we get up. He showers and gets dressed, I sleepily make him some coffee, and he heads out the door at 6:00.
I didn't keep good records for the next few hours, but I know that by 9:30, I:
-got dressed and did my hair and makeup
-checked email and social media
-made my bed
-started laundry
-wrote and published a blog post
-shared my post on social media
-responded to blog comments
-had breakfast
-made bread dough
-did Zoe's hair
-made tea
Then I started writing things down again. 😉
9:30- cut up cantaloupe, started chicken broth, switched laundry loads
9:45- math checking/correcting
10:00- I sauteed onion in the broth pot, added water, and left my broth to simmer. I also shaped my risen bread dough into loaves.
10:15- more math checking, and I found a new math notebook for Joshua.
10:30- math correcting
10:45- math correcting
11:00- I sorted and folded laundry, put in a new load, and put my bread in the oven.
11:15- I helped Zoe with her math investigation
11:30- more laundry switching, and I sorted through a sibling fight or two.
11:45- I took my bread out of the oven and took a small Instagram/email break
12:00- 12:45 lunch break!
12:45- I ironed the husband's work clothes and a shirt of mine. Sometimes I listen to a podcast while I do this, but I opted for silence this time, which is good for, you know, thinking.
1:00- I did some kitchen cleanup and took out the compost.
1:15- I checked emails, responded to blog comments, and started writing some blog posts.
1:30- blogging
1:45- blogging (writing this post, which is kind of meta, I suppose. Ha.)
2:00- blogging
2:15- Zoe needed the computer for schoolwork, so I strained my chicken broth, checked Instagram, and rounded up my grocery receipts.
2:30- blogging
2:45- blogging
3:00- algebra help with Lisey
3:15- Lisey needed the computer for schoolwork, so I headed to the kitchen, where I:
-organized the fridge
-made banana bread
-poured my chicken broth into jars for freezing
-cooked and cut up corn for dinner
-cut up some apples with bad spots and put them out for snacking
-froze some leafy greens and fruit for future smoothie use
-texted with a friend 😉
4:45- back to blogging while my banana bread bakes
5:00- blogging (with a break to take banana bread out and photograph it)
5:15- blogging
5:30- blogging
5:45-6:30- dinner prep
6:30- dinnertime
And after this, my time tracking gets fuzzy. Before 9:00 I:
-ate dinner
-went out to run a few errands
-cleaned up dinner (the kid who usually does the dishes was gone.)
-made a cup of tea for the husband
-made a second panini for a child who came home from rehearsal (teenagers. So hungry.)
9:00- I don't like doing math at night, but I corrected Lisey's algebra and went over it with her. It was a super fast session....15 minutes! Yay.
I hung out with the kids and husband after this, and we hit the hay around 10:30.
A Few Thoughts
Tracking my time has reminded me that one day is never representative of someone's life.
For instance, this day was one of those rare ones that required no leaving of the house! I didn't have to take anyone to school, we had no appointments, dance is over for the year, and nothing else was going on.
So, this day had a lot more household tasks than other days do.
But the day before, I was barely home...I took a kid to school, went out to breakfast with my mom and sister for a belated Mother's Day breakfast, picked a kid up from school, dropped the kid off at home, and took the girls to go hang out with friends for the afternoon.
And the day after this one, I took a kid to and from school, I had a mid-morning appointment, I had to take Lisey to her pre-op tonsillectomy appointment, and then I took her to see a friend's dance rehearsal before I came home and made dinner.
Plus, this is a day at the end of the school year, so I spent less time doing school-related stuff than I would on an average school day.
And while it seems like I spent a lot of time blogging that day (2 hours and 45 minutes), I spent very little time blogging other days that week (I've been trying to get more blogging done all at once, rather than spreading it out all over the place.)
So, I can see the value in tracking time for a week, or a month, so that you get a better idea of how time use averages out.
Hi Kristen.I have been waiting for this post from a long time .
I find tracking time (or anything) very interesting and useful. I have done it in the past and I think it's time to give it a go again. You certainly got a lot done on the day you shared with us as I imagine you do every day with four kids, homeschooling, and a house to run.
Wondering if your kids do every lesson and problem in their math curriculum? I have heard with Saxon math that they should do every problem, but then when I talked to someone who owns a homeschool curriculum store about that, he said if your child gets how to do a problem they could move on after doing say, 3-5 of those problems. Just curious how you guys do it, thanks!
We actually do all of the problems and all of the lessons. None of my kids loves math and I don't particularly love it either, but we ARE really consistent and thorough with it.
I feel like the constant review that Saxon does is very helpful, and I thought so as a student too. When you KEEP ON doing that same type of problem consistently, you're much more likely to remember how to do it in the future.
I'm going to be nosy and "butt-in" with my two cents.
I was homeschooled in the late 80's and 90's and my mom also was not particularly fond of math. But to compensate for this we did every problem in every lesson of the Saxon Math curriculum (Math 54 - Algebra 2) with the hope that we would be stronger in Math than my parents were.
I am now finishing up my PhD in Mathematics and have been teaching at the college level for several years.
I would highly recommend having your kids work every problem and to not use calculators until they get to the trig problems that are actually impossible to do in your head. The practice and repetition of Saxon Math is its strength. Math is much more like practicing an instrument than most people realize. The goal isn't just to "learn the concept" but to actually internalize the ideas. This is done with lots of practice. And unfortunately at the college level there is less time for this kind of intense practicing - so creating a solid foundation now will really strengthen their skills for the future.
Also, as much as possible have them find their own mistakes. i.e. tell them their answer is wrong and have them attempt to correct it. This can be frustrating (I didn't actually like math till high school so I definitely remember being frustrated) - but in my opinion it is one of the best things you can do to give them strong Math skills.
Additionally, another perk of Saxon math, is that its heavy use of word problems are solid preparation for university chemistry and real day-to-day life applications. Because of when I was homeschooled, I had very little science (curriculum was limited then) in high school, but the skills learned through Saxon math set a solid foundation for my university chemistry classes. Additionally I still use Saxon's word problem strategies when calculating sale prices etc.
End of my rather long "two cents". I hope this was a little bit helpful.
Wow, great perspective, thanks for sharing!
I have a feeling my day would have a lot more "checking social media" and "browsing Netflix/YouTube/My media library."
Ha, well, some of my days are more like that too. If I'm super tired, I'm much more likely to fall down the social media/internet black hole.
I call this "Getting stuck." I get stuck on the couch with a book or the laptop, and have trouble getting up. While being tired (more likely to be mentally than physically) I've noticed this happens more if my feet hurt or I'm chilly - two situations in which moving creates immediate discomfort, however minor.
Realizing this has helped me overcome it but I'm not 100% yet.
I can't say it is surprising to find that you are a very productive individual, Kristen.
I've been flirting with the idea of tracking time, but I fear it will be the same everyday (at least 10 hours of it is with work!). I'm going to try it now!
Thanks for sharing! It's funny, Mr. Picky Pincher and I don't have kids and we complain that we "don't have time for anything." I think your busy schedule shows that you can do anything if you make the time for it. Keep fighting the good fight. 🙂
I feel that most people, most of the time, can make time for any thing, but not every thing. Everyone has to choose, and those with kids have already chosen one of their things.
Two thoughts. I feel like a sloth next to you and I am exhausted just reading about all you did!
You know, I bet if you wrote down everything you did in 15 minute increments for a day, you'd be surprised at how much you do too! It just sounds like a lot when you write it ALL down.
Thank you for sharing this! When I'm in "stay at home mom mode" (during the college academic year I'm a graduate student studying history) many of my days look very similar. Put a load of clothes in, nurse the baby, start bread, put the toddler down for a nap, put the baby down for a nap, read for comprehensive exams, etc.
Speaking of reading for comps, last night I read a book about the diary of a midwife in turn-of-the-nineteenth-century Maine. This woman tracked her daily tasks and news in the community for decades. I was struck by how similar hers and your accounts were despite them being 200 years apart. Ballard recorded that she put up beans, went to church, helped her daughters spin flax, and of course she delivered a baby on average every week. She was a midwife and you are a blogger in addition to many other differences, but otherwise your daily lives are remarkably similar. On behalf of historians 200 years from now, thank you for the interesting record you are leaving about your life.
Yes...I'm finding it to be a little bit challenging to track my time because it feels very fragmented. 15 minutes isn't a long time slot, but I'm often doing multiple things within even 15 minutes.
I first tracked time a year or two ago thanks to Ali Edwards' Day in the Life and Week in the Life yearly scrapbooking projects. Ali does this at least a couple times each year and she invites her blog readers to join her. There are no rules, but she offers many ideas about how to do it. Of course, she's big on telling your story through pictures and words, so the end goal is always to document your day or week by gathering all of your photos, journaling, notes, etc. at the end of the day or week and compiling it in keepsake album of your choice. She's done it for years and it is a wonderful way to document your life. Ironically, she just did Week in the Life 2 weeks ago and has posted the process and day 1 of her album on her blog today. It's very cool and inspirational. I participated in Week in the Life at the same time she did it (and many many people do this). She gives a heads up well in advance because it's such a great project that many love to join in and do it at the same time. Unlike Ali, I haven't completed my finished album yet, but I will very soon. I think I will do a photo book. Just thought I'd mention this in case you or some of your readers haven't heard of Ali's Day/Week in the Life project. She blogs at aliedwards.com (and no I'm not affiliated with her. I just really like her blog/ ideas/ style/ projects/ memory keeping and positivity.)
Very interesting. I can't stay up until 10:30, and I get up at 6:00;). One easy task is making the coffee at night (fill the pot and add filter/coffee), so The Mr. can just press the button. I like how you figure out to get All The Work done in one sitting.
If I were regularly getting up at 5:30, I'd definitely be in bed sooner! But this was the last day of his training, so we were back to our later schedule the next day...thus the later bedtime.
Better yet have a coffee pot that brews your coffee automatically at a time you set up. 🙂
Kristen your day looks a lot like mine.
Laundry, home schooling, blogging and lots of time spent in the kitchen.
Tracking my time a few times has been life changing for me. One of the best benefits was learning that I really don't spend a lot of time cleaning my house. I no longer get to complain about that LOL!
Tracking my time would stress me out I think... And show way too much screen time (random browsing, Netflix on tablet, or social media/emails check).... 🙁
Time-tracking or activity tracking has been really helpful to me in my work life, since I've taken a contract job recently and will eventually have to justify them keeping me on. It's also very interesting to see the cycle of busy/down-time from day to day and week to week. Your particular day seems really productive compared to most of my 8-5 workdays 🙂 but that's ok. We all get everything done that we make time for. Really enjoyed this post! Maybe I'll start tracking my time again.
I'm harvesting spinach every other day. What is the spinach dish in your dinner plate picture? It looks like potatoes but I'm not sure.
Yup, it's potato cubes with chorizo and spinach.
I have been waiting to see a new one of these for awhile. I really must know if you hate the Investigations in Saxon as much as I do? The investigations ALWAYS happen on a day when I have zero time to sit and do a lesson with them. And, I am curious how much time you spend helping with school on a more typical day for you...not towards the end of the year when their school work is lighter. Thanks for the glimpse into your day!
YES. I hate investigation days. HATE THEM. We are kindred spirits. 😉
The amount of time I spend helping with school varies. Ideally, I spend an hour and a half or so each morning doing science, history, Bible, and time tests with Sonia and Zoe, and then the rest of the time I spend on school is helping with questions and correcting/going over wrong answers as my kids finish with their work.
How much time that is varies with the day. Math correcting probably takes the longest out of any correcting, especially if a particular kid has got a bunch wrong or has a bunch of questions. Sometimes it's 15 minutes per kid, sometimes a kid might require an hour of my time.
I'd probably have to track a few weeks in the school year to get an idea of the average, since it varies so much per day.
Thank you for replying! Glad to know I am not the only one that hates them!!!
Fair play Kristen, you are a very productive woman..you get loads done, I'm in awe..
I am handicapped and often feel like I do nothing BUT when I write what I actually did during the day, I am amazed. I think it helps us all put things in perspective
A group of us at church who were taking a Bible course from a seminary all had to track our time for one 24 hour day. About half of us (me included) held 8 to 5 jobs, some having kids and some without; half of our group stayed at home with young kids or were retired with no kids at home. Out of nine of us, I had the absolutely busiest day, but I didn't feel like bragging. I felt dismayed -- there was no time for me, for quiet time and devotions, for just spending fun time with my kids.... it was awful, and unfortunately, that day wasn't an exception to the norm. I was also the only one who watched zero TV on any day-- I never had time. No time to read for pleasure, no time for hobbies, either. Ever since then, I've tried to be more conscious of the time I spend outside of my job in my "free time". I've come to recognize that some time with God is essential to me, and time just for me is also very, very necessary, as I'm an introvert. I'm still too busy, but I carve out at least a little time each day. I think tracking our time is a great -- and eye opening -- exercise for all of us!
Wow! I am impressed with what you accomplished. It's kinda inspiring. I want to track my day and see how much I do 🙂
Thanks for this post! I need to do this very soon. 🙂
Loved this post. I no longer homeschool my littles, (they are all grown up), but it brought me so many memories.
Question: Do you bake bread year round? Even in the summer?
I do, but in the summertime I do try to limit it a bit more. Or I try to do it on days when the weather is not QUITE so hot
Whew! I got tired just reading your post but enjoyed it very much. I too am a blogger, but at 69 years of age, I'm not quite as energetic as you.
I do take breaks from blogging and marketing to cook, do laundry, etc. With no children in the house, it does give me more "rest" time. Thanks for sharing what you do. Makes me realize I'm not the only person with a busy schedule from home.
Sometimes friends and family think if you work from home you don't do anything. That is so far from the truth! Thanks again.