The Hours
Laundry
Time Spent: 75 minutes
I do a load a day. The time-sucky part is not doing the laundry, but putting the laundry away. I can fold a basket in 5 to 7 minutes, but it takes another 10 to distribute the folded goods to the correct place in the house. Resolution: Make all family members pick up their laundry and take it to their own rooms.
Looking for Stuff
Time Spent: 2 hours, 52 minutes
Astounding, right? I spend at least 10 minutes a day hunting for my cell phone—sometimes more. And then there are the random items that constantly go missing: pencil sharpeners, glasses, homework, permission slips and my kid's Aaron Rodgers jersey. One day I spent 45 minutes hunting all over the house for our wedding photos. They’re still lost.
Calendar Maintenance
Time Spent: 50 minutes
I’m not naturally organized (obviously). I have to work hard to keep important things and people from falling through the cracks. Every day, I spend 5 minutes making or reviewing my to-do list and then another 5 keeping the monthly family calendar up to date. 10 minutes a day = immeasurable sanity.
Dog Care
Time spent: 3 hours, 45 minutes
Holy Canine. I spend the biggest chunk of my "discretionary time" feeding, walking and playing with Patrick, our Border Terrier. He gets a walk in the morning, a walk at midday and another in the evening. Plus, I take 10 or 20 minutes out of my work-day day to play fetch with him or take him on errands. Then again, if I was working in an office, I’d spend nearly as much time gossiping or kvetching with office buddies. My dog is my replacement BFAW (best friend at work).
Photo via Jonboy Mitchell/Flickr
Reading for Fun
Time Spent: 110 minutes
Embarrassing! No wonder I can’t finish my book club books. I read more on the weekends, really—I do! But most weeknights I fall into bed with big ambitions, but little energy. I read for 20 minutes and then fall asleep. At least I don’t need Ambien.
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Yoga
Time spent: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Nice life! I go to three yoga classes on weekdays, and each one lasts 1 to 1.5 hours. If I include travel time, though, my yoga time would swell to 4 hours and 30 minutes. Aha! This might be where some of that nibbled time goes.
