Twenty-four Hours

Two weeks ago I began working 24 hours per week. I've enjoyed the extra 8 hours of free time.

I keep a daily record of my work in order to report the number of hours I work on specific projects. However, there's another significant and more personal reason to keep a journal. I'm paid a salary, do not punch a time clock and have relaxed scheduling. It's not a problem if I have nothing on my calendar and get to work 30 minutes late or leave early or take an extended break in the middle of the day. Some days I work extra, some days I work less. By keeping track of my hours I insure I earn my full salary. I like this system of personal supervision and integrity.

My original plan was to work 9:00 until noon and 1:00 until 4:00 PM, Monday through Thursday. This schedule gives me the opportunity to walk from Julie's office to my office before work (about 1.4 miles), walk to some destination during midday break and then walk back to Julie's office at the end of the day. This gives me a minimum of five miles of walking each day.

Two weeks ago I worked 28 and 1/4 hours. Last week I worked about 27 hours. At present I'm carrying about 36 extra hours that I've worked over the last year or so. The net varies. Sometimes it drops to about 24 hours extra and sometime it exceeds 40 hours.

Some days I plan on taking an extended lunch but I get interested in a problem and don't want to quit until I solve it. Then Julie calls and I realize it's about 4:00.

I can see a bad habit starting so this coming week I'm determined to work only 24 hours.