Where does the time go?

As the end of the semester approaches, I'm evaluating my goals vs. progress. Scheduling my time has been THE most difficult challenge in this program. Time seems to slip away from me. Where does it all go? So I decided to do add it up...

We've all got 168 hours every week.

Sleep (7 hrs x 7): 49 (I function well on 9 hrs, but rarely get it)
Work at office: 32
Commute (2hrs x 7): 14
Cooking/cleaning/lunch & snack preps: 14
Time w/kids (including dinners/reading/wake&sleep rituals) (1hr x 7): 7
Time w/partner (1 hr x 7): 7
Exercise/Walk dogs (1 hr x 7): 7
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Total (so far): 130 hrs

That leaves me 38 hours per week (4+ more since I don't commute Sat/Sun, and I probably cook, shop, and clean faster than I think). The MFA program requires a minimum of 25 hrs. So, now I can see why this is tough! I haven't added in time for personal hygiene (guess I can throw that into the cooking and cleaning category), kids soccer practice and activities, grocery shopping, research trips to the library, visiting galleries to look at art, the occasional get-together with friends, the inevitable lost time to mental vegetation (including TV, evil FaceBook, web surfing, and staring at clouds). And don't forget date night. This all will work as long as I limit non-MFA activities to fewer than 13 hours a week.

This can be done. And, I can see how easy it is to "lose" this time--lose "track" of it in any case. As this is all an experiment, I expect the next step is to keep better track, and catch myself early when I start to use/lose my hours on non-essential things (especially early in the week).

Back to work!