THE CAPTAIN'S LOG
The way I did it.
I gave myself permission to relax.
It’s a fact. There are 168 hours in a week. The amount of time from Monday through Sunday is finite, and there’s no way to change that fact … even though I’ve tried. There are a lot of disruptors, like bad weather, out-of-town visitors, and Daylight Saving Time. Didn’t we vote to do away with changing our clocks years ago?
Once and for all, and because I was sure my husband was wrong when he said I had more free time than he did, I was going to prove myself right when I said, “All I do is go to work, come home, cook dinner, and go to bed … repeat.”
Game on! First, we each wrote down our estimates of how we spent our time each week—work, sleep, food prep, cleaning, exercise, and Bible study. When we tallied up the hours, I had 35 remaining to his 11. How could that be? 35 hours? That’s practically a full-time job!
So, for one week, I doubled down and logged everything I did and the time it took to do it. If you’re wondering, my husband refused to log his hours. I tried to goad him on by saying, “You’re afraid you’re going to lose.” He didn’t bite.
After one week, the numbers were in. Generally, I worked a little more and slept a little less than I had estimated, and everything else just took a little longer. I bought this red-light facial muscle stimulator thing that added nearly 20 minutes to my bedtime routine and a Bodyblade® exercise thing that my brother-in-law recommended to activate the stabilizing muscles of my shoulders in the hope that it would cure the pain I’ve had in my neck for months. That contraption added 20 minutes to my morning routine. I’ll let you know if either of the two pans out. The fine print claims that I should see results within 4-6 weeks.
There were unexpected additions to the log, like the trip to the dentist to replace a lost filling, and perhaps the most shocking—and surprisingly fun—was attending a Pearl Jam tribute band concert. Who knew my rhythm-challenged, monotone husband knew every lyric to their set list? I learned this fact as he triumphantly (and loudly) sang each song to me as I tried to keep myself upright in the mosh pit.
This week, in addition to the mundane time-sucking things on my log, I managed to put together two of the four jumbo bookcases I ordered from Wayfair and had two save-the-world conversations with friends. I do believe that women can devise ways to save the world while fitness walking.
Now that I’ve reached the end of my experiment week, I’m a little less manic about finding the 35 hours I thought were lost. I’m all the more relaxed, and even bordering on serene, knowing that those five hours a day allow me the freedom and flexibility to take an unexpected phone call and accept an invitation to relive the music of my college bartending days. Those five hours each day weren’t lost; they opened a window of opportunity.
The way I did it. The captain’s log.
This is part of what I’m calling Expeditionvision—trying things on purpose and paying attention to what happens. I’m not offering advice or giving instructions. I’m just sharing the way I did it. If there’s something that you’ve been wanting to do—but haven’t—I’d love to hear about it. I’m open to reader suggestions for future experiments.
Field Notes: For Paid Subscribers
Paid subscribers, I’ve added a short field notes section below with what surprised me the most, what I didn’t expect, what I might do next time, and things I’m still working on.