Chapters 1-3: Share your thoughts about this passage: “There are 168 hours in a week. Let’s say you’re contracted to work around 40 hours and you work another 20 hours every week for free. That’s 6o hours a week spent on school-related tasks, leaving you with 108 hours for everything else. If you factor in around 7 hours of sleep a night, that still leaves you with 59-60 hours a week for yourself…” How do you currently spend your 60 hours of weekly free time? Would you like to make changes to how you spend this time going forward?
How do you currently spend your 60 hours of weekly free time? Would you like to make changes to how you spend this time going forward?
ReplyDeleteI currently get home from work and I decompress with screens, typically in Spanish. I make supper sometimes. I talk on the phone/facetime with family and friends. Sometimes I bring work home. I would l like to become more mindful with my time and do things that are more rewarding. I would like to be more intentional with my physical self-care. I also want to prioritize my environmental self-care since I just moved and some of my spaces still reflect the move. I would like to make a habit of organizing my time better by creating lists with the order of importance, so I spend less time on banal choices.
I really enjoyed this passage on time spent. It made me look at my own life and how I spend my 60 hours a week. We have three teenagers so a lot of time is spent at their activities as well as doing daily chores. The story about making supper being a choice was eye opening! I do have a choice! I realized how important supper is to me and my family and that time with my husband and kids is one of the best times of each day so making supper to me is time well spent. What a great way to look at that time everyday! I want to be more mindful of how I spend some of my time and make sure I am using it meaningfully. Just being aware that I have choices with my time is already beneficial and a much better way to view my day and time!
ReplyDeleteI spend my free time for my personal choices--taking classes to renew my teaching certificate, reading books for enjoyment, taking my dog for walks, spending time doing different activities with my family and just relaxing at home. I also clean in my spare time. I like to spend time with friends and make it meaningful.
ReplyDeleteThat section of the book really made me think about time. Time is such a struggle because it can so easily slip away with the wrong things occupying it. Something I am often guilty of and let take up a lot of my time is social media. I am very good about taking time for my health; working out, meal prepping, bible studies, etc.. however, I do let social media take quite a bit of time from me. This is something that I would really like to work on. I do a pretty good job of leaving work at work and not bringing papers home or working on school during that time. Social media is my big time waster that I could work on.
ReplyDeleteWhat resonated with me in this chapter is your free time not feeling free. A lot of my free time is not spent efficiently. Rather it's spent dreading lesson plans and other things I know will need to be done for work. When in reality if I didn't waste so much time complaining or dreading I would actually have time to do some things I enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI currently spend most of my 60 hours of free time at home or with my husband, Charlie on the farm. At home, I spend the most of my time doing household chores such as cooking or cleaning. However, I also try to do at least one "enjoyable" task per night such as reading, going on a walk, or watching a Netflix episode or two. I think finding time to do ONE thing for myself has helped me feel less overwhelmed or overworked by household or work related things.
ReplyDeleteAfter being out of the classroom for 8 years, I know I would be a better, more organized teacher now. It might be due to maturity, but I think it has to do with having a deeper understanding of how to utilize my time in a manner that respects the limited amount of it that each of us has. However, I know that I am an easily distracted individual, and I find myself scrolling through my phone when I could be doing something else. That is one thing that takes a great deal of my "free time" if I am not careful. Most of my free time is spent managing my household and family, but I also carve out plenty of time to read each week.
ReplyDeleteI accidentally posted this anonymously. This was my original post on 2/4/25.
DeleteHow do you currently spend your 60 hours of weekly free time? Would you like to make changes to how you spend this time going forward?
ReplyDeleteIt does sound crazy that we have at least that much free time from work each week, when it often does not feel that way! I make time to exercise each day, spend time cooking about every other day, and do grocery shopping and errands about once a week for a few hours. I spend Sunday mornings at church, Thursday evening with friends, about one afternoon or evening with my parents, and most of the rest of my free time with my husband. We enjoy playing games, watching sports, going out for dinner, and getting together with friends. I currently would like to do better with planning to spend time with friends and other family members in advance. It's not that I don't have time to see them, I just could be more intentional with making those plans. I'm also currently starting to spend some time volunteering and I am excited about that.
In my remaining time, I work a second and third job, often multitasking by completing classroom-related tasks while on the clock. Fortunately, these additional jobs align with my personal interests—I work for local production companies, which serves as both a hobby and a way to unwind. While it may seem counterintuitive to relax through work, the stress involved is different from that of teaching, making it a refreshing change. Additionally, these jobs provide opportunities to tackle less enjoyable classroom responsibilities, such as grading. I am continually exploring ways to manage my limited free time more effectively.
ReplyDeleteWith the 60 remaining hours I would say it is broken down roughly like this: 20 hours intentional time with my kids and husband, 10 hours housework/personal care, 10 hours reading, 10 hours watching tv/sports, 10 hours scrolling my phone. Many of these hours overlap - but alas I am somewhat content with the hours aside from the phone scrolling. I have read books and engaged in content about the dangers and downsides to social media and extensive phone use, and yet it is something I continue to struggle with. I do think there are some positives - I use social media to connect with other readers, follow mom content that can be helpful, sports news, etc. However there is a point in the scrolling where I know I am no longer getting anything out of it and I continue on anyway. Spending less time scrolling social media that does not serve me would free up more time and mental space for my family and hobbies that are good for me.
ReplyDeleteAs I reflect upon my free time, I can honestly and regretfully state that in the past, my free time was consumed with work that related to my classroom and items that were not meaningful and fulfilling. It took job change and a lot of mindfulness to balance work and life. My free time is now spent with family, gardening, hiking, fishing, and hunting. I can honestly state that I like myself a lot more now! When I begin to feel unbalanced, I take a strong look at how my time is being spent and what changes I need to make. It is constant hard work for me to continue to be mindful of the hours of my day, but the benefits are beyond amazing and worthwhile. I am adamant that I will be fully present for my two precious grandchildren, my own children, and my husband. I will also continue to find time to take care of myself and fill myself with the time and opportunities to be my best self.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read this, I was amazed to think that we have 60 hours of free time! Most of my free time is spent doing things related to my family: my kid’s activities, cooking, cleaning, having quality time with family, etc. I also enjoy spending my time running or walking. Overall, I feel like I have a good balance in my life with how I spend my time. I teach at a school where there is a 4 day school week, so I really try to use my Fridays as a “work day” (cleaning finishing anything school related). This helps me really enjoy and be more present for the rest of my weekend. My family also really benefits from having structure and routine. This helps keep things from piling up. I think as our kids grow, I will make changes with how I spend my free time. I would love to have a new hobby or learn new skills!
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started teaching, I had 3 kids of my own that needed every bit of my free time. Spending any more time on my work meant I lost time watching them grow up and taking care of their needs. AS I got older and wiser, I spent less time bringing work home and spent it more with my family. I continue to enjoy my free time with the two that are still home but even that time is shrinking. 60 hours of free time sounds great, where do I sign up? I am sure it is coming shorty... but I would never want to lose family time.
ReplyDeleteI spend my 60 hours of free time doing the things this book talks about. I have 3 grown sons and one still in middle school. Going to his sporting events is how I spend a lot of my free time. The older I get, the less I worry about endless housework and try to enjoy some down time. I do know that I waste too much time mindlessly scrolling through my phone if I let myself. That is definitely a waste of my free time that I could be spending better.
ReplyDeleteHow do you currently spend your 60 hours of weekly free time? Would you like to make changes to how you spend this time going forward?
ReplyDeleteI spend my 60 hours of weekly free time going to the gym for an hour a few nights a week, household chores, getting groceries, laundry, walking my dog, and reading. I resonate with "free time not feeling free" and I have had many people ask me my hobbies during the school year. They are very limited to reading and hanging out with my dog, and I still try to find time to do both of those. I have really been working on just be okay with leaving things undone, such as the dishes or folding the laundry. I had someone tell me once to buy paper dinnerware for the times when I need to take care of me, and it has really helped me at some points. Going forward I am deciding to use my time how I want to spend it and to not feel guilty doing the things I need for my mental health. I am also going to be reminding myself of the mindset, "I get to" not "I have to." It is easy to get stuck in the negative and complaining state of mind, being aware is the first step though.
How do you currently spend your 60 hours of weekly free time? Would you like to make changes to how you spend this time going forward?
ReplyDeleteI spend my 60 hours of weekly free time by working out, reading, going for walks, and spending time with friends and family. I also have a 2nd job that also takes up some of that time. When I first started teaching I would take home work every night and on the weekends. This really took a toll on me. So, last year I decided I would only take work home with me on the weekends and I could only spend 1 hour each day of the weekend working on things. This helped me so much, it made me manage my time at school better and allowed me to get in my hobbies! I am currently trying to better my negative mindset and complaining. I need to remember I am making these choices and I can't complain about the choices I chose to make.
How do you currently spend your 60 hours of weekly free time? Would you like to make changes to how you spend this time going forward?
ReplyDeleteThis is the first book I have read that makes me say-finally! About two years ago I started realizing that if I continue to place all of my focus on work then when my last child graduates from high school that is all I am going to have left, work. I had found myself so wound up with everything that had to be done that I wasn't enjoying life. It was affecting me in a negative manner. So I started to really prioritize myself and self care. I have been using my extra time to do things I enjoy: reading, kayaking, hiking, journaling, taking a bath, going out with friends, and some days just sitting around catching up on series that I watch. It has made all the difference for me. So far I LOVE this book.