The more you have to do, the more you get done?
Maybe for me it’s the the more daylight you have in the day, the less you get done. Hmm, let’s see if I can make this one make sense.
So I was driving home last night in the the blinding sun close to 8:30 pm and I had an epiphany. Maybe.
I was thinking, “Geesh! It’s nearly 9:00 o’clock and the sun hasn’t even hit the horizon yet! The days are getting so long!*”
Then I was like, “O. M. G. Is that why I seem to flounder my way through spring and summer? I have too much daylight? Too much time to get stuff done… and I end up wasting time?!”
Yeah. I told you this one would be hard to explain.
But I have been trying to figure out why I fail so hard at life in the spring/summer months. In the winter, I am getting up early to work out, eating healthy, making sure my day is planned out with everything I want to do…
And in the spring/summer, I am staying up too late, sleeping in, taking naps all the time, wasting the day away, thinking “I will do it later”…
I am totally blaming this ALL on the sun! ALL OF IT!
I remember in college that one of the counselors** told me once how students who work while they are in school are usually better at getting things done and not procrastinating, because they have less time to do it. So they have make it work. Or something like that.
That was true for me. I usually worked about 20 hours a week and always had a ton of stupid architectural school crap to do – drawings, models, blah blah blah. I got it all done. I was miserable, and hardly ever slept. But I got it done.
So I wonder if the winter darkness makes me feel like I need to get more things done, because I have less time to do it – less daylight hours***. I kind of like having my workout done first thing in the am, so I can chill out inside when it gets so dark out at night.
But when it start to get lighter, later, I start pushing things back. I stay up later, because it’s lighter out. I somehow turn in to a procrastinator. I think I have all this time in the world, but it’s really the same as before****.
Meh. I don’t know. I thought I was going somewhere with this. Maybe not.
But if anything was gleaned from this post, I think maybe a human sciences degree would have been better for me than architecture – since I am always thinking about weirdo stuff like this.
How does your summer schedule change from your winter schedule? Up later? Getting less done (like me) or more done, or… the same?
*Until tomorrow, anyway
**Or whatever they were called
***Even though I really like running in the dark
****Except operating on much less sleep, since I am staying up later due to it being lighter out.
Themocracy
I am a teacher and off in the summer, so you’d think I’d have a spotless house, good meals, etc. but NOPE. I am very scheduled during the school year, but have the “I’ll do it tomorrow” attitude in the summer.
I think there’s something to what the counselor said (I’m pretty sure I’ve read that somewhere too). I know I’m a lot more productive at work when I have 20 different things to work on than days or weeks where I just have a couple projects because I can put them off. And because my work is so crazy busy in the winter, I do get a lot more life stuff done then too, because I don’t have much free time. But I think that’s because of work, not the season itself – if it were up to me, I’d spend winter on the couch under a blanket 🙂
I think I’m the complete opposite. I find it easier to wake up early and get in my run first thing during the summer. In the winter, I just want to stay in bed and have trouble getting my butt in gear to get my runs in, especially if there’s any ice on the pavement.
Tell me your secrets! 😛 Is it as simple as sleep? I just can’t seem to function on only 6 hours or less, now that I have been regularly getting more (since I started working more from home last year).
Oh I totally get this. The more time I have, the less I do. I do so much better when I am busier. I tend to totally run myself ragged in the summer because of the long days. In the winter, I have no problem spending a night on the couch because it is dark and cold, but I feel like I am wasting a “nice night” when I do it in the summer.
I agree! When I have lots to do I am WAY more productive. When I have a free day, I do nothing or just think that i can always get it done tomorrow. I’m also much less productive in the spring/summer because I love to be outside doing stuff with the kids and don’t want to waste the beautiful weather by being cooped up in the house.
I blame schools giving up summers off and training us to go into mental vacation mode and always looking forward to the next day off and going out to play!
My schedule is pretty much the same as winter, if anything, I sleep less.
Something about summer makes me feel the same way. I just do what I want and feel like and what I dont feel like is working…
YES! I want to do all the care free summer things… concerts, laying at the beach, long aimless walks with Data…
Kim, I think its okay that you feel that way. You should want to & you should get to have fun in the summer. Just because we’re “adults” now doesn’t mean we have to be so scheduled and boring all year long. 🙂 I think you are being way too hard on yourself, and thinking too far into it. I don’t think it’s necessary to be super responsible ALL of the time! 😉 Just do what makes you happy, if it means being lazy and napping one day, or waking up at 6am instead of 5am, DO IT!! 🙂
The problem is that I feel really lazy most of summer… I remember last year I felt really down and took a lot of naps. I need a balance between that and being scheduled all the time 😉
I agree – mostly 🙂 I know that in the summer I hardly get to bed before 10pm. I just cant get myself to go to bed as early as I do in Winter. I think its slightly opposite that I feel like I have more time to do stuff and I lose track of time, because it is so light. Its so light out at 8pm that I feel like its only 6 or 7pm so I feel like I have more time to do stuff. Not to say I am more productive, just get carried away i guess with my projects!
Yes! Thank you. You summed up what I was trying to say in a few sentences. I think you should just write my blog! Hee hee.
I definitely get more stuff done if I have more stuff to do. Its weird how that works. If I don’t feel the pressure of deadlines or a longer to do list I just let things slide.
I worked 32-40 hours a week through most of my college life and somehow I got it all done. I was a full time student, I was involved with organizations on campus and I spent a lot of time at work, but I still got it all done. Now I’m mostly unemployed and have one summer class — do you think the assignment due tomorrow is done?! Of course not, I have all day tomorrow to do it…
Like Jan, the teacher above, noted, I find myself a bit off-course in the summer because there is almost too much free time! I’ve found that my summers “off” are so much more productive when I make sure to schedule different things. So, even though classes ended for me two weeks ago, I’m teaching an abbreviated summer class and am auditing another one. However, I still find myself taking a nap almost daily and watching TV (“The Killing” – so addictive) much later than I would normally!
I am 100% more productive when I’m busy. When I have more time I start to procrastinate and push things back. For me it’s an issue year round though, I don’t think it has anything to do with the seasons. If I’m busy, I’ll get stuff done.. if I’m not busy, I’ll be lazy.
I am up earlier and stay up later too. I do feel like I wanna kick back and enjoy summer but so far that hasn’t been the case.
This totally makes sense to me. I think my productivity stays relatively the same but I can absolutely see how the daylight could affect you this way. I still get tired super early. Thank goodness for blackout curtains so I can go to bed whenever my old lady self wants.
I completely agree with the theory behind getting more accomplished when you have more to do and less time to do it. I’ve been on staycation all week with tons of time to do things, yet have gotten done only a fraction of what I wanted to do. Comparatively, when I’m working and squeezing in time to see friends and family and train for races, I am WAY more productive. I do think I’m better in the summer than in the winter, though. Sunshine is a motivator for me. =)
Interesting! What you’re saying makes sense! I mean, when I have no reason to get up because I don’t have anything scheduled I think, “Oh, I’ll sleep in and then do chores and run errands and workout and…” And then I only get like half of it done because I had nothing kicking my butt out of bed and getting my day started!
I totally have less motivation in the summer time, since I would rather be spending most of the time outdoors in the sun.
Woohoo, catching up! I definitely relate to this. I am so much more productive when I have more of my plate, but like you said, it makes me miserable. I’m also less productive in the summer. I always think I’m going to use the extra time to study a language or something, but I almost never get around to it.
I think you’re being plenty productive, though! Teaching, running, making picnics and hosting people! Phew, I’m exhausted just thinking about all of it. 😉