Take the Time

In my last post I discussed using a calendar to keep on track. 

There is actually another way to track your time, although it is a bit after the fact. You can determine your time investment in a project by noting what you listened to while you were plugging away.

I did this with the demons and I thought it'd be interesting to share my list!

• Dresden Files audiobooks one thru fourteen - 192 hours, 13 minutes
• House of Cards netflix show season one - 11 hours, 51 minutes
• Prince of Thorns audiobook - 9 hours, 19 minutes
• Demon Cycle audiobooks one thru three - 60 hours, 43 minutes
• Serenity movie - 1 hour, 58 minutes
• The Making of South Park netflix show - 42 minutes
• Hellboy movie - 2 hours, 12 minutes
• Total Recall: My Impossibly True Life Story audiobook, part one only - 7 hours and 23 minutes
• Caprica netflix show season one - 13 hours, 43 minutes

Now, I listened to a bunch of music in addition to this stuff (new Finntroll album!), bullshitted with my roommate and often skyped with my gf while painting so the final figure is a bit understated. Nevertheless, this gives us a good idea of my time investment for something I typically wouldn't know otherwise.

If we add everything up we get 300 hours and 4 minutes! (A conservative figure, remember!)

That means over 10 weeks, I spent on average about 4 hours and 17 minutes per day painting! (Less than that during the week and way more on the free weekend days with roughly one day off per week.)

I painted 55 figures over that time, which is about 5 hours and 27 minutes per model! (Probably 2-3 hours per infantry model and 12-15 per Plague Drone - ugh I hate those big bastards.)

Where the hell did I get this time!? That is tricky to answer.

• I would say about 1/3rd of it was my usual available freetime. 
• The second 1/3rd came from cutting sleep (about an hour and a half per night over the entire 10 weeks).
• The last 1/3rd came from cutting back on typically "locked in" weekly activities (and cutting almost all of them outright during the last 4 weeks).

Stuff like:

• Gym after work
• Yoga night
• D&D night
• Friday or Saturday night drinking benders
• Actually playing warhammer
• Podcast editing (thanks Johnny!)
• Seeing the GF (from twice a week to once a week)(note: I just barely got away with this)

Anyways, is there a lesson or something to be gleaned here? (Besides that I'm a madman?) Maybe.

Apart from the exercise, I was actually pretty okay taking time off from my weekly activities. I knew my break was temporary and I was accomplishing some serious hobby shit in the meantime. 

If I hadn't cut sleep or those activities, it probably would have taken me around 30 weeks (over half a year!) to finish the army. I am doubtful I could have kept my motivation for that stretch, though.

Why not try temporarily cutting back on your typically "locked in" activities for 3-4 weeks, burn the midnight oil and see what you can accomplish!? I bet it'd be something great.