Routine - Conclusion

This challenge morphed from "keeping a routine" to "time-tracking".   Lack of preparation played a role.  I was also over-optimistic about how enthusiastic i would be at keeping such a routine.

However, it was still a valuable exercise.  The challenge has opened my eyes as to how much time we actually have each day.  By tracking my time, i was able to see where it was being wasted and where i could become more productive.  

I also made a better attempt at doing things like meditating and walking my dog.  I noticed how little time it takes and how much better i am for having done so.

I asked myself questions like, "is this the best use of my time?" and "could i be doing something else right now?"  This is something that will stick with me for the rest of my life and guide me toward making better decisions.  After all, our time is finite and i seek to get the most out of it.

I am now more conscious of how i spend my time and that alone was worth the experiment.

Routine - Day 21

Here's how i spent the final day of the challenge:

9:10 - 9:20 - wake, protein shake, pee
9:20 - 9:30 - laid back in bed
9:30 - 9:50 - breakfast
9:50 - 12:00 - laundry, reviewed money situation, garage
12:00 - 12:10 - blog
12:10 - 12:25 - packed an overnight bag, cleaned up
12:25 - 12:50 - took dog for a walk
12:50 - 1:45 - garage, watched Indians, drank beer
1:45 - 1:50 - snack
1:50 - 3:30 - garage, picked up dog shit
3:30 - 6:15 - Easter dinner with family
6:15 - 7:00 - drove (listened to the Joe Rogan Experience podcast)
7:00 - 10:15 - kicked it at a friend's house
10:15 - lights out

Routine - Day 20

Here's how i spent Saturday.  My weekend's have definitely been more productive than had i not been tracking my time.

7:20 - 7:35 - wake, protein shake, bathroom break
7:35 - 8:00 - shower, shave, brush teeth, get dressed
8:00 - 8:50 - drive with g/f to meet mortgage lender
8:50 - 10:05 - meet with mortgage lender
10:05 - 11:05 - drive back home from meeting with mortgage lender
11:05 - 11:15 - went through mail, decluttered
11:15 - 11:45 - phone call
11:45 - 12:30 - blog
12:30 - 12:50 - donations for No Strings Attached
12:50 - 1:05 - meal
1:05 - 3:00 - garage (watched the Indians, looked up home stuff)
3:00 - 3:30 - haircut and shower
3:30 - 3:50 - watched the rest of the Indians game
3:50 - 4:30 - sent a package to a family member, phone call, cleaned up, made a grocery list
4:30 - 5:05 - got ready for dinner and waited on the g/f
5:05 - 7:00 - anniversary dinner at the Chophouse
7:00 - 7:35 - walked the dog, drank a beer, watched tv
7:35 - 8:35 - researched checking and homeowners insurance accounts
8:35 - 8:45 - meal
8:45 - 8:55 - bed prep and took dog out
8:55 - 9:30 - read
9:30 - 10:15 - watched tv
10:15 - lights out

Routine - Day 19

Here's how Friday went down:

6:45 - 6:50 - wake and protein shake
6:50 - 7:20 - shit, shower, get dressed
7:20 - 7:35 - work prep (brush teeth, gather belongings, etc)
7:35 - 8:25 - commute (listened to the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast)
8:25 - 4:00 - work
4:00 - 4:50 - commute (JRE)
4:50 - 5:40 - unwind, phone call
5:40 - 5:55 - walked the dog
5:55 - 7:00 - hung out with sister, ordered food
7:00 - 7:25 - dinner
7:25 - 8:00 - hung out with family
8:00 - 9:15 - prepared documents for the mortgage lender, filed papers, decluttered 
9:15 - 9:40 - blog and fix a back-end issue
9:40 - 9:50 - bed prep, take dog out
9:50 - 10:15 - read
10:15 - 10:25 - eat
10:25 - 11:00 - watched 20/20
11:00 - lights out

Routine - Day 18

Woke up late and was unable to blog this morning.  Here's how i spent Thursday:

6:35 - 6:40 - wake, protein shake, pee
6:40 - 6:55 - blog
6:55 - 7:20 - shit, shower, shave, get dressed, brush teeth
7:20 - 7:35 - work prep
7:35 - 8:35 - gas station + commute (listened to the JRE podcast)
8:35 - 5:00 - work
5:00 - 5:50 - commute (JRE)
5:50 - 6:30 - unwind (change clothes, drank a beer, watched Modern Family)
6:30 - 6:50 - walked the dog, helped mom unload groceries from the car
6:50 - 7:30 - dinner
7:30 - 8:30 - hung out with g/f, did some mobility work with a lacrosse ball
8:30 - 8:35 - bed prep (pee + brush teeth), took dog out
8:35 - 9:35 - read (currently reading The Way of the SEAL by Mark Divine)
9:35 - 10:00 - watched mindless tv
10:00 - lights out

Routine - Day 17

I've been out of town to attend a funeral the last couple days so tracking my time wasn't a priority.  I'm back now and here's how i spent Wednesday.

6:35 - 6:40 - wake, protein shake, pee
6:40 - 6:45 - meditate
6:45 - 7:15 - shit, shower, get dressed
7:15 - 7:35 - work prep (brush teeth, gather belongings, watch morning news)
7:35 - 8:40 - commute (some silence, some Joe Rogan Experience Podcast)
8:40 - 4:30 - work
4:30 - 4:50 - drive
4:50 - 5:35 - home inspection
5:35 - 6:40 - commute (JRE)
6:40 - 7:00 - unwind
7:00 - 7:10 - short exercise (kettlebell swings and pushups)
7:10 - 7:30 - dinner
7:30 - 8:05 - hung out with the g/f and the dog
8:05 - 8:20 - cleaned up
8:20 - 9:00 - watched a documentary on PBS
9:00 - 9:05 - bed prep (pee and brush teeth)
9:05 - 9:35 - read
9:35 - 10:00 - watched more PBS
10:00 - lights out

Routine - Day 14

Here's how i spent my Sunday:

8:30 - 8:50 - wake, shake, bathroom, took dog out
8:50 - 9:30 - coffee + blog
9:30 - 9:50 - wrote for 24 Hours Better
9:50 - 10:00 - breakfast
10:00 - 10:20 - 24 Hours Better
10:20 - 10:30 - grocery list & cash for mom
10:30 - 10:40 - plan day
10:40 - 12:30 - "garage" time, unload groceries, gardening resources
12:30 - 12:40 - dinner prep
12:40 - 1:30 - garage, looked up info on the city we're [hopefully] moving to
1:30 - 2:00 - dinner prep
2:00 - 2:15 - meal
2:15 - 2:55 - garage, internet, fixed dad's mp3 player
2:55 - 3:40 - yardwork
3:40 - 6:45 - watched Indians, garage, fixed dad's mp3 player, consumer reports
6:45 - 7:15 - dinner + pack lunches
7:15 - 7:30 - watched the end of the Indians game
7:30 - 7:50 - packed for trip out of town
7:50 - 8:15 - took dog out, bed prep, misc
8:15 - 9:00 - meditate
9:00 - 10:00 - watched baseball
10:00 - lights out

I'll be out of town for a couple days so i'm not going to be able to upload the next couple days.  Look for the next update on Wednesday or Thursday.

Routine - Day 13

I realize that this challenge has become more of a "time-tracking" exercise than it has been a routine, but i've been more productive than had i not been tracking my time.  Here's how i spent my Saturday:

7:30 - 7:35 - Wake, social media
7:35 - 7:45 - protein shake, bathroom break
7:45 - 8:05 - mobility + cleaned up dog puke..
8:05 - 8:15 - bathroom
8:15 - 8:25 - blog
8:25 - 8:40 - social media
8:40 - 9:25 - wrote a blog post for 24 Hours Better
9:25 - 10:05 - random internet stuff (email, social media, fitness, finances)
10:05 - 10:20 - laundry
10:20 - 10:35 - cleaned out vehicle (gets messy when you commute 10 hours a week)
10:35 - 10:45 - took dog for a walk
10:45 - 12:00 - gave dog meds, "garage" time, laundry
12:00 - 12:10 - lunch
12:10 - 4:00 - more garage time, laundry, Indians game, house planning, scheduled home inspection, looked up gardening resources
4:00 - 5:00 - dropped of my mom at my aunt's so she could go out drinking and not drive
5:00 - 5:15 - meal
5:15 - 6:00 - watched the end of the Indians game, neighbor's dog got loose so i helped
6:00 - 6:25 - meal planning/grocery list
6:25 - 7:25 - gardening/homesteading resources
7:25 - 8:00 - cook
8:00 - 8:30 - dinner & clean up kitchen
8:30 - 8:40 - take dog out and feed him
8:40 - 8:45 - bed prep (pee and brush teeth)
8:45 - 11:00 - laid around and watched tv 
11:00 - lights out

Routine - Day 12

Here's how i spent my time yesterday:

6:50 - 6:55 - wake, protein shake, pee
6:55 - 7:00 - blog
7:00 - 7:10 - bathroom break
7:10 - 7:15 - back to the blog
7:15 - 7:35 - shower and get dressed
7:35 - 7:50 - work prep
7:50 - 8:40 - commute (listened to NPR)
8:40 - 5:00 - work
5:00 - 6:00 - commute + beer store
6:00 - 6:30 - unwind (watched Modern Family)
6:30 - 7:00 - cook dinner
7:00 - 7:30 - eat dinner
7:30 - 8:40 - cook bacon and asparagus, paperwork for house purchase
8:40 - 8:50 - bed prep (pee + brush teeth), took dog out
8:50 - 10:30 - Indians game on tv + social media
10:30 - lights out

Routine - Day 11

Here's how my time was spent yesterday, April 10th.

6:20 - 6:25 - wake, protein shake, pee

6:25 - 6:35 - meditate

6:35 - 6:45 - social media

6:45 - 6:50 - blog

6:50 - 7:25 - shit, shower, shave, get dressed

7:25 - 7:50 - work prep + watch tv

7:50 - 8:40 - commute (listened to NPR)
8:40 - 5:15 - work

5:15 - 6:05 - commute (listened to NPR, phone call)

6:05 - 6:25 - unwind (watching Modern Family, changed out of work clothes)

6:25 - 6:40 - exercise (body weight squats + abs)

6:40 - 7:10 - dinner

7:10 - 7:35 - cleaned up, got recyclables ready to take tomorrow

7:35 - 8:00 - read

8:00 - 8:30 - tv

8:30 - 9:00 - fell asleep

9:00 - 9:30 - tv

9:30 - 9:40 - took dog out + bed prep

9:40 - 10:30 - tv

10:30 - lights out

Routine - Day 10

Here's the raw data from Wednesday:

6:40 - 6:45 - wake, protein shake, pee
6:45 - 7:00 - blog
7:00 - 7:20 - shit, shower, shave, get dressed
7:20 - 7:25 - brushed and flossed
7:25 - 7:45 - finished getting ready for work
7:45 - 8:40 - commute (listened to NPR)
8:40 - 5:15 - work
5:15 - 6:00 - driving
6:00 - 7:00 - looked at and made an offer on a house
7:00 - 8:00 - commute (listened to NPR)
8:00 - 8:05 - changed clothes, relaxed for a quick minute
8:05 - 8:45 - dinner + popcorn
8:45 - 9:50 - drank a beer and watched tv (PBS)
9:50 - 10:00 - took dog out, bed prep
10:00 - lights out

Routine - Day 9

I overslept today.  Here's how my time was spent.

6:45 - 6:50 - wake, protein shake, pee

6:50 - 7:05 - shower 

7:05 - 7:20 - blog

7:20 - 7:25 - rescued a spider i found in the basement

7:25 - 7:40 - got dressed, gathered lunch, brushed teeth, bathroom

7:40 - 7:50 - work prep

7:50 - 8:40 - commute (listened to NPR)

8:40 - 5:15 - work

5:15 - 6:10 - commute (listened to NPR)

6:10 - 6:25 - unwind

6:25 - 6:40 - exercise (cardio on the treadmill)

6:40 - 7:00 - ate dinner

7:00 - 7:05 - social media

7:05 - 7:40 - clean up + phone call

7:40 - 7:50 - web stuff (email / finances)

7:50 - 8:10 - talked about a house we're thinking of buying

8:10 - 8:25 - snack

8:25 - 8:35 - bed prep and took dog out

8:35 - 8:50 - meditate

8:50 - 8:55 - bathroom

8:55 - 9:10 - another snack

9:10 - 10:10 - read and watched baseball on tv

10:10 - lights out

Routine - Day 8

Into my second week, beginning to feel somewhat natural.  Here's how i spent Monday:

6:20 - 6:25 - wake, shake, urinate
6:25 - 6:35 - meditate
6:35 - 6:55 - blog
6:55 - 7:25 - shit, shower, shave, get dressed, gather lunch
7:25 - 7:30 - breakfast
7:30 - 7:50 - work prep
7:50 - 8:40 - commute
8:40 - 5:15 - work
5:15 - 6:10 - commute
6:10 - 6:25 - unwind
6:25 - 6:45 - exercise
6:45 - 7:05 - took dog for a walk
7:05 - 7:25 - dinner
7:25 - 8:05 - prep lunch (had to make rice)
8:05 - 8:10 - fold laundry
8:10 - 8:15 - picked up a little, took out the trash
8:15 - 8:20 - bed prep (brush teeth and go to bathroom)
8:20 - 8:40 - meditate
8:40 - 8:45 - social media
8:45 - 9:30 - read
9:30 - 9:45 - snack
9:45 - 10:00 - tv
10:00 - lights out

Routine - Day 7

And this is how i spent my Sunday:

9:50 - 10:15 - wake, shake, take dog out bathroom break

10:15 - 10:50 - drank coffee and watch cricket

10:50 - 11:30 - blog

11:30 - 12:15 - social media and 24 Hours Better

12:15 - 12:35 - phone call

12:35 - 1:05 - Lunch prep (cooked chicken in slow cooker)

1:05 - 1:45 - hung out with the g/f who was out of town all weekend

1:45 - 2:30 - garage (see yesterday's post for an explanation)

2:30 - 2:50 - laundry and helped mom unload groceries

2:50 - 3:05 - picked up dog shit in the yard

3:05 - 3:55 - garage, laundry, watched the Indians

3:55 - 4:15 - meal

4:15 - 5:00 - Indians game and laundry

5:00 - 6:30 - dinner prep

6:30 - 7:00 - dinner

7:00 - 8:00 - relaxed, watched baseball

8:00 - 8:10 - bed prep (pee and brush teeth)

8:10 - 8:15 - folded laundry

8:15 - 8:55 - read

8:55 - 9:05 - snack

9:05 - 9:30 - meditate

9:30 - 10:00 - watched baseball

10:00 - lights out

This exercise is definitely making me more aware of how my time is being spent, thereby making me more productive.

Routine - Day 6

The first weekend day of the post.  I'll admit that it's a lot more frustrating trying to track an entire day as opposed to having a 10+ hour block dedicated to going to work.  Here's how i spent my Saturday:

8:25 - 8:30 - wake, protein shake, bathroom
8:30 - 8:35 - played with the dog
8:35 - 8:50 - meditate
8:50 - 8:55 - social media
8:55 - 9:05 - bathroom break
9:05 - 9:20 - blog
9:20 - 9:30 - miscellaneous web stuff
9:30 - 9:40 - picked up and organized a little
9:40 - 10:00 - breakfast
10:00 - 10:25 - made suggestions for a friend's website
10:25 - 10:55 - phone call
10:55 - 11:30 - worked on the "Love My Life Campaign" (something a friend started)
11:30 - 12:30 - worked on another friend's business Facebook Page
12:30 - 12:45 - cleaned up
12:45 - 12:50 - looked at solutions to a problem on my dad's MP3 player
12:50 - 1:35 - social media
1:35 - 2:10 - phone call
2:10 - 2:35 - hung out in the garage* (it's like the man cave of the house)
2:35 - 3:05 - went to the store for my parents
3:05 - 3:15 - garage
3:15 - 3:30 - lunch
3:30 - 5:30 - garage
5:30 - 5:50 - dinner
5:50 - 6:25 - garage
6:25 - 7:30 - social media
7:30 - 8:30 - watched Snake Island and The Success of Nonviolent Civil Resistance (below)
8:30 - 8:35 - snack
8:35 - 8:40 - bed prep (brush teeth and pee)
8:40 - 9:55 - read some and watched tv
9:55 - 10:10 - snack and took the dog out
10:10 - 12:00 - read some and watched tv
12:00 - lights out

*I'm living in my parents' basement as a transition from North Carolina back to Ohio.  That should explain my 50 minute commute one-way to work each day.  We're in the process of looking for a home in Cleveland, just haven't found anything yet.

Snake Island

Routine - Day 5

I'm pretty happy with how the routine thing has gone so far.  The weekend will be the real test and i don't have work to structure my life around.  Here's how i spent my Friday:

6:25 - 6:35 - wake, protein shake, pee, read through mail
6:35 - 6:40 - meditate (was feeling pressed for time and couldn't concentrate)
6:40 - 6:55 - blog
6:55 - 7:20 - shit, shower, shave, get dressed
7:20 - 7:35 - breakfast (it's generally 3 eggs w/ cheese and ketchup, as it was today)
7:35 - 7:50 - get ready for work
7:50 - 8:40 - commute (listened to the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast)
8:40 - 5:00 - work, breaks to eat at 11, 1:30, and 4:30
5:00 - 5:55 - commute (talked on the phone)
5:55 - 6:20 - unwind (watched some baseball, phone call)
6:20 - 6:35 - exercise - cardio on a treadmill
6:35 - 6:40 - Facebook
6:40 - 7:05 - dinner
7:05 - 7:15 - cracked a beer and watched some of the Indians home opener
7:15 - 7:20 - phone call
7:20 - 7:30 - play with the puppy
7:30 - 8:25 - Facebook, i run a couple pages and help manage a few more
8:25 - 8:35 - bed prep (pee and brush teeth) took dog out
8:35 - 8:55 - meditate
8:55 - 9:15 - snack
9:15 - 10:35 - a little reading, a little more television
10:35 - lights out

Routine - Day 4

Here's how yesterday went down:

6:10 - 6:15 - wake, protein shake, bathroom
6:15 - 6:30 - meditate
6:30 - 6:40 - blog
6:40 - 7:10 - bathroom, shower, get dressed
7:10 - 7:25 - breakfast
7:25 - 7:35 - walked Otto
7:35 - 7:50 - work prep (brush teeth, make coffee, etc)
7:50 - 8:40 - commute (listened to the JRE podcast)
8:40 - 5:15 - work 
5:15 - 6:10 - commute (JRE podcast + 2 phone calls)
6:10 - 6:45 - unwind (changed clothes, played with dog, fell into The Big Bang Theory)
6:45 - 7:10 - cleaned up
7:10 - 7:40 - dinner and packed lunch
7:40 - 8:45 - read
8:45 - 8:55 - snack
8:55 - 9:10 - meditate
9:10 - 9:15 - Facebook
9:15 - 9:20 - bed prep (pee and brush teeth)
9:20 - 9:40 - read
9:40 - 10:00 - watched tv
10:00 - lights out

Routine - Day 3

Day 3 of the challenge is in the books.  Here's how my day unfolded:

6:10 - 6:15 - wake, shake, bathroom break
6:15 - 6:30 - meditate
6:30 - 6:35 - Facebook
6:35 - 6:50 - blog
6:50 - 7:10 - shower and got dressed
7:10 - 7:25 - breakfast
7:25 - 7:45 - prep for work
7:45 - 8:40 - gas station + commute (listened to the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast)
8:40 - 5:15 - work, with breaks at 11, 1, and 4:30
5:15 - 6:05 - commute (listed to JRE and talked on the phone)
6:05 - 6:25 - unwind
6:25 - 6:45 - soft tissue work with a lacrosse ball
6:45 - 7:30 - dinner
7:30 - 7:45 - clean
7:45 - 8:30 - meditate
8:30 - 8:45 - snack
8:45 - 9:30 - read
9:30 - lights out

Routine - Day 2

Here's how i fared on the second day of the challenge:

6:00 - 6:05 - wake, protein shake, pee
6:05 - 6:25 - meditate
6:25 - 6:30 - looked for meditation chants on Google Play
6:30 - 6:50 - blog
6:50 - 7:15 - bathroom, shower, and dressed
7:15 - 7:30 - breakfast
7:30 - 7:50 - prepped for work
7:50 - 8:40 - commute - listened to NPR
8:40 - 5:15 - work with breaks for snacks and lunches at 11:15, 1:30, and 4:30
5:15 - 6:10 - commute - listened to the Art of Manliness podcast with Charles Duhigg
6:10 - 6:30 - unwind (change clothes, chill out, etc)
6:30 - 6:45 - exercise - cardio on a treadmill
6:45 - 7:00 - walked the dog
7:00 - 7:15 - dinner
7:15 - 7:20 - packed next day's lunch
7:20 - 7:30 - conversed with mom
7:30 - 7:50 - cleaned up 
7:50 - 8:00 - purchased a meditation/chants album on Google Play
8:00 - 8:45 - read
8:45 - 9:05 - meditate
9:05 - 9:15 - snack
9:15 - 9:25 - got ready for bed and took the dog out
9:25 - 10:30 - finished reading the book Plunge by Mari Anderson and Fritz Damler
10:30 - lights out

Routine - Day 1

Day 1 is in the books.  Here's the rundown of how i spent my time:

6:00 - 6:05 - woke up and had a protein shake
6:05 - 6:15 - walking meditation
6:15 - 6:20 - bathroom
6:20 - 6:55 - read
6:55 - 7:10 - shower
7:10 - 7:30 - breakfast
7:30 - 7:50 - prep for work
7:50 - 8:40 - commute, listened to a podcast
8:45 - 5:15 - work with two snacks and lunch in between
5:15 - 6:05 - commute, listened to NPR
6:05 - 6:15 - unwind
6:15 - 6:45 - exercise
6:45 - 7:05 - walked the dog
7:05 - 7:30 - dinner
7:30 - 7:45 - prepped recyclables
7:45 - 8:05 - sat with g/f as she ate her dinner
8:05 - 8:15 - mailed tax return
8:15 - 8:40 - read
8:40 - 8:55 - meditation
8:55 - 9:05 - browsed Buddhist chants on Google Play 
9:05 - 9:15 - snack
9:15 - 9:20 - prepped for bed
9:20 - 10:00 - read
10:00 - lights out