I finished my 8784 hours at 5 A.M. this morning. Yesterday, I began analyzing the logs in earnest, which means that at least a few of my 8784 hours were spent analyzing my 8784 hours — very meta. Anyway, the process was intense but relatively fast. When I was analyzing logs other people kept for I Know How She Does It, I could not get faster than 20 minutes per log. At that rate it would take me 17 hours to go through my logs for the year. But I wound up finishing at a rate of around 15 minutes per log. Partly it is that I know my life and so I am not puzzling if a certain entry is work or something else. I also know the rhythms of my life. I know when I usually run or read and so I know where to look when I add things up.
It was a fascinating experience reliving my year like that, hour by hour over two days. Little things I had forgotten come to mind (e.g. the hunt for the Shelf Elf when the children suddenly announced they were expecting him). I see why winter made me crabby: too much indoor time and chasing after a toddler. I see why some weeks felt draining; I was up in the night every single night. But I also see a lot of good times too, like the Halloween family activities (hayride!), my runs with friends, sharing my ideas with audiences large and small. I read some good books, I had some good meals, I saw some great sunsets and probably a few too many sunrises.
More to come on all this, but I am very happy I kept with this for the full 8784 hours. It was a full year. It was a good year.
I am excited to hear more about it!
I applaud you for having the vigilance to stick with it for 1 whole year!
I can’t even journal for a whole week- but you inspire me. I love the idea of being able to reflect on time gone by. the details of life can be so trivial and significant at the same time.
On a slightly different note, I was wondering if you had any pointers for planning your runs during the week. Can you speak to changes you make in your schedule to accommodate training? I’ve been trying to increase my mileage and notice that how/when I eat and drink during the day affects my evening runs, but sometimes I feel more prepared for evening runs by adjusting meals and drinking more during the day and that I am not as well equipped for morning weekend that I want to make longer… any help or words of wisdom are appreciated!
@Angela – interesting question – maybe I should write a post about fitting in exercise. For me, one of the major MAJOR benefits of working from home is the ability to work out during the day. Even in the dead of winter it’s light out (though if it is snowy/icy I run on the treadmill). I usually go for a run in mid-afternoon when I would be hitting a slump anyway. It’s a great way to recharge. As for longer runs, though, I often do that one weekend morning per week. I’m only training up to a half-marathon running time though, so the longest training runs I’m doing are 10 miles – that’s 1:40 at 10-min miles, so it is about a 2-hour commitment total for the longest run.
Wow, congrats! A whole year. I was journaling last night and I laughed because I was writing down little details from the day that I knew I would appreciate and look fondly upon when I re-read my journal in years to come. What a great way for you to be able to reflect! Thanks for sharing.
@Betsy – I agree that it’s great to see the little details. One thing I kind of liked about time-tracking, though, is that it’s neutral. I have a tendency to complain in my journals. It is cathartic, yes, but I’m not sure I need to remember the little daily gripes of past years. I’m also slightly worried that after I die, people will look at my journals and think wow, this woman had a lot of complaints.
This comment made me giggle a little . I can relate to the complaining in your journal and also the worry about the impression people will be left with when you are no longer around….(perhaps that is why I struggle to be consistent?).
I sometimes find my complaints to be amusing when I re-read old entries.