One example is my daily schedule. Like most people I have been imprinted since childhood with the idea that all "real work" is done at an office between the hours of 9 and 5. At times I will find myself feeling deep guilt as I take a three hour lunch or goof off an entire afternoon. That expectation to be a good productive member of society starts to hiss in my ear, "you're wasting time, you should be making more money, you should get a real job."
I'm really working on getting this feeling of guilt under control, so I thought I'd actually add up the amount of work I do on a usual day and see how I stacked up against the usual office worker.
This was my schedule for a Monday. This is my "day off" in that I don't teach any yoga. But I do my other work mostly on that day. Let's see what happens on a usual Monday.
6 am - wake up.
6:30-8:00am - work, often responding to emails from the US that have been sent as I slept.
8:00-9:00am - breakfast for myself and whoever else might be needing it in the apartment at that time. I also make my lunch at this time if I'm on top of things.
9:00-11:00am - meetings, podcast editing, design work, website updating, or whatever is on the agenda for that day.
11:00-1:30 pm - I usually run out of steam around 11 and spend some time watching videos online or reading articles. Sometimes after lunch I'll play some Xbox. During training time this is when I'll go through PCP exercises.
1:30-2:30 pm. Having goofed off but not being ready to work again, I'll usually turn to cleaning the house, washing dishes, or going to the supermarket while it's still sunny.
2:30-4:00 pm - back at the computer for more work.
4:00-5:30 pm - preparing dinner. I like to make nice dinners. I have a lot of guests, almost one every night, so this takes time.
5:30-7:00pm - wining and dining
7:00pm-8:00pm - this is usually the entertainment for the night. I might watch a show downloaded from the net, or play guitar, or stretch, or more Xbox.
8:00-10:00pm - working on projects, sending emails I want North America to read as I sleep, closing any glaring open loops from the day.
10:00-10:30pm - getting ready for bed, toothbrushing, pajama wearing, etc...
10:30- sleep. Yep, I go to bed at 10:30 or earlier every night. Make fun of me all you want, but when you wake up at six that's the only way to get 7-8 hours of sleep. And adequate sleep is the key to health and happiness.
So that's a usual Monday. Let's assume a nine to fiver has an hour lunch break, he or she would then clock in 7 hours of work in a given day. How does my day compare?
6:30-8:00am = 1.5 hours
9:00-11:00am = 2 hours
2:30-4:00pm = 1.5 hours
8:00-10:00pm = 2 hours
------------------------------
total worktime = 7 hours
This really surprised me the first time I calculated it. I had been thinking of myself as a bit of a slacker compared to my hard-working office friends. But it turns out we work the same amount on a Monday, my work time is just spread out in smaller chunks. Plus, my house is always clean and I'm eating wholesome homecooked food most of the time.
Not to mention, Monday is my day off.
The 9 to 5 schedule really is a relic in this day and age or international communication and the internet. We have the technology to find any piece of information we need directly from our home in a few keystrokes, no matter what time it is. I regularly vid-chat with clients and contacts all over the globe who don't give a second thought to the fact that it is 7am or 10pm where I am, they just want to get the job done.
For the kind of creative work I do, spacing it out throughout the day is a real godsend. Often the worst thing I can do is plow through a problem that requires a creative solution. The results always look forced and unoriginal. By giving projects some time to breath the answer usually appears from my subconscious without prompting. So all those hours between work, washing dishes, chopping vegetables, are also a very necessary part of the work.
When people find out I work seven days a week they are mildly appalled, but I'd much rather work at a leisurely pace 7 days a week than have the manic highs and lows of the 5 day workweek. That kind of scheduling really does a number on people's minds, as life is so sharply divided between work and play, people spend most of their time looking forward to or dreading the next bend in the rollercoaster.
So join me in putting the final nails in the idea that the only real work happens between the hours set by factory owners in Victorian England 200 years ago.
And let's all work a little less and live a little more while we're at it.
11 comments:
You HAVEN'T worked in a office, have you? At most offices I have worked in, almost half the day is spent in socializing, personal email and phone calls and planning lunch or waiting for the clock to strike 5. I'm not proud of it but felt I had to confess.
Yeah I have worked in an office for a blessedly short time, and I had that same experience. But I wanted to give the office workers the benefit of the doubt and credit them with the seven hours of work.
don't feel the need to justify your lifestyle. It is your life after all. In regards to the creative (design) industry, you will find most in these professions work in the exact same way as you are. I myself am one, and this way of life is the only way creative individuals can operate. So it is more than OK! If you start to feel guilt, just take a look at the french :), we all should take a page from their book really..
That's what's so weird Melodie, I know I don't have to justify my lifestyle, and yet I still feel like I'm not doing something right. Like I said it's just social conditioning but it sure is hard to shake!
This may be a slightly personal question, but I'm interested... what percentage of your income comes from the "other stuff" and what percentage comes from teaching yoga/owning the studio?
Also: I envy your days, even the 7days a week thing. However, if you need to take one entire day to, say, meet with a longtime friend who came in, do you ever have anything holding you back, or can you just chalk it up to a 'day off'?
The percentage of income from the studio and other stuff changes every month. For example, nobody is doing yoga in February, but a lot of businesses are needing graphic design stuff that month, so that would be an "other" month. But in June the studio is bangin and makes up the bulk of my income.
With a few phone calls I can take a day off anytime. But I don't do it much!
Patrick,
Shit man, don't feel guilty. You're an incredible role model for a healthier way to live. You're a great teacher. Your videos are fabulous. The PCP is brilliant. You're touching lives through the yoga studio and sharing so much with all of us online. I'm a hard working, ivy-league-educated corporate dude and society puts my unhealthy lifestyle on a pedestal. Meanwhile, I'm reading your contributions on the net and trying to achieve balance. At least some of us drones are coming to you for inspiration. Pride Patrick. Not guilt. And thanks for all you do.
Thanks Dean I'll try to remember your kind words as I goof off all afternoon and waste my salad days taking long baths while listening to emo.
Ha! OK, here's a phrase I never thought I'd have occasion to use, but seems an appropriate response, "You go girl!".
Cheers dude,
Dean
Wondering: does hereliespatrick mean Patrick sleeps/rests/resides here, or that he professes fallacies here!
"Lies"....
By the way, as an English major, what is your favorite book/author (considering you have one). Or, who was it during college?
Obviously Here Lies Patrick means that I constantly lie to you. Of course, I could be lying about that.
Favorite Book in grade school: Hopscotch by Julio Cortazar.
Favorite Book in high school: The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Favorite Book in college: Larry's Party by Carol Shields
Post-college: I don't read books anymore I just read blogs and newsfeeds.
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