Tag: Productivity

My Morning Routine

- Alexis Leave a comment
Sunrise over lake

A couple months ago, I wrote that I intended to wake up extra early after the fall time change to work on some personal goals. Unfortunately I came down with a nasty case of strep throat a week after the time change, and I was sleeping a ton while I was sick, so my plan to trick my body into thinking the time change hadn’t happened was unsuccessful. But I managed to get somewhat back on track after I recovered, and while my record of sticking with this routine is not 100%, it’s going pretty well. I like the extra bit of energy and peace I get from exercising and meditating early in the morning. Having some quiet time to myself is a nice way to start the day, even if I do seriously struggle to drag myself out of bed some days.

I enjoy reading about how other people spend and manage their time, and I thought some of you might like to read about how I have organized my mornings, particularly now that there’s a baby in the mix (spoiler alert: this routine only works because the baby usually sleeps pretty late and I have someone else helping to get him ready for daycare). Here’s what a typical weekday morning looks like for me right now:

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Making the Most of the Time Change

- Alexis Leave a comment

Pastel drawing of a sidewalk light at night

Today is the last day of Daylight Saving Time for 2018, and at 2:00 tomorrow morning, our clocks will reset to 1:00.  Unless, that is, you live in one of the jurisdictions that has shunned the outdated practice.  The modern wisdom of Daylight Saving Time is debatable.  It can have negative health consequences and is of questionable economic benefit.  But for most of us in the United States, changing our clocks twice a year is unavoidable, so we might as well try to use it to our advantage.

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Capturing Little Bits of Time

- Alexis Leave a comment

Photo of a breast pump on a desk in front of a window

In the early weeks of motherhood, my days followed roughly this pattern:  breastfeed or pump milk for 20-30 (sometimes as long as 45) minutes; wash bottles, eat, change diaper, do laundry, and/or sleep all within the next hour and a half; repeat.  Oh, and try to spend some time with the baby somewhere in there.  I tracked my pumping frequency and output for my lactation consultant.  As an example, on February 27 of this year, I pumped at 12:15 AM, 2:30 AM, 5:15 AM, 7:45 AM, 10:15 AM, 1:15 PM, 3:00 PM, 5:15 PM, 7:15 PM, and 9:00 PM.  (If you haven’t had a baby and are under the mistaken impression that maternity leave is a restful vacation, think again.)

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To Accomplish What You Want, Write Down More Than Just Your Goals

- Alexis 1 Comment

A dirt road disappears into a tree line under a blue sky

Tracking time is one of the most universally disliked aspects of private law practice.  I don’t think I’ve ever met an attorney who liked having to log every client-related task in six- or fifteen- minute increments.  Tracking and recording your time is a pain.  But it does have its benefits, aside from being able to bill your clients for the work you’ve performed.

When I first left private practice and no longer had to keep daily time sheets, I noticed that I became less productive.  I chatted with coworkers more and took longer lunches.  I spent more time on projects.  These things are not all bad, but I realized at some point that I wasn’t checking items off my to-do list as often as I’d like, and I felt like I was losing momentum.

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