Joblog on the Lintels: Work Summary for the Week ending Friday, 20 March, 2009

Monday, March 23, 2009

Work Summary for the Week ending Friday, 20 March, 2009

5 days summarized below


Time at AMBS:			44h 59m 21s
Time Working:			39h 51m 14s
	Planned:			26h 23m 1s
		Projects/Tasks:			15h 5m 35s
		Meetings:			6h 8m 2s
		Reading/Research:			1h 15m 12s
		Communication:			3h 12m 40s
		House cleaning:			0h 41m 32s
	Unplanned:			8h 37m 32s
		Distraction:			0h 51m 21s
		Interruption:			3h 48m 58s
		Projects/Tasks:			3h 57m 13s
	Other Work:			4h 50m 41s
		Non-work Work:			3h 32m 22s
		Community Life:			1h 18m 19s
	Unspecified:			0h 0m 0s
Personal/Break:			5h 8m 7s
Average Daily Time at AMBS:			8h 59m 52s
Average Daily Working Time:			7h 58m 14s


Time Working:			88.59%
	Planned:			66.20%
		Projects/Tasks:			57.21%
		Meetings:			23.25%
		Reading/Research:			4.75%
		Communication:			12.17%
		House cleaning:			2.62%
	Unplanned:			21.64%
		Distraction:			9.92%
		Interruption:			44.24%
		Projects/Tasks:			45.84%
	Other Work:			12.16%
		Non-work Work:			73.06%
		Community Life:			26.94%
	Unspecified:			0.00%
Personal/Break:			11.41%

*** Raw Data ***

03/16/2009 7:43:45 AM,ar,"",0
03/16/2009 8:05:00 AM,em,"",1275
03/16/2009 8:17:42 AM,nw,"extraordinary gift",762
03/16/2009 10:27:16 AM,nw,"ana pryr bk practice",7774
03/16/2009 11:25:59 AM,mt,"digital distribution stuff",3523
03/16/2009 11:41:43 AM,hc,"between mtg stuff",944
03/16/2009 2:41:20 PM,mt,"",10777
03/16/2009 2:44:51 PM,ps,"chat",211
03/16/2009 4:11:44 PM,mt,"copyright stuff",5213
03/16/2009 4:25:20 PM,hc,"cleanup",816

03/17/2009 8:01:21 AM,ar,"",0
03/17/2009 8:02:59 AM,nw,"deposit supper",98
03/17/2009 8:10:11 AM,hc,"backup stuff",432
03/17/2009 8:11:07 AM,em,"",56
03/17/2009 8:17:30 AM,iv,"ds (disproportionate student)",383
03/17/2009 8:22:30 AM,hc,"various things",300
03/17/2009 8:26:39 AM,iv,"CoW tech troubles",249
03/17/2009 8:33:33 AM,iv,"ds",414
03/17/2009 9:18:16 AM,em,"(mostly responding to hr -- that took waaay too long)",2683
03/17/2009 9:32:32 AM,up,"update permissions form",856
03/17/2009 9:50:46 AM,up,"more permissoins tweaking",1094
03/17/2009 9:56:22 AM,up,"mail servers check",336
03/17/2009 10:05:30 AM,bk,"",548
03/17/2009 11:31:52 AM,tk,"copyright podcasting issues",5182
03/17/2009 11:38:10 AM,hr,"dealing with spam",378
03/17/2009 11:42:34 AM,tk,"podcasting query composition",264
03/17/2009 12:21:59 PM,iv,"ds (how does one deal with time monopolizers?)",2365
03/17/2009 1:27:40 PM,bk,"lunch",3941
03/17/2009 1:37:53 PM,em,"",613
03/17/2009 1:50:32 PM,hr,"class beginnings",759
03/17/2009 2:04:46 PM,hr,"analytics",854
03/17/2009 2:47:23 PM,tk,"copyright stuff",2557
03/17/2009 2:58:24 PM,ps,"loan stuff",661
03/17/2009 3:29:57 PM,tk,"copyright stuff",1893
03/17/2009 4:12:46 PM,mt,"moodle planning",2569
03/17/2009 5:10:23 PM,tk,"copyright stuff",3457

03/18/2009 8:00:52 AM,ar,"",0
03/18/2009 8:09:02 AM,hr,"disappeared toolbars",490
03/18/2009 8:15:06 AM,em,"various little-ish things",364
03/18/2009 8:29:32 AM,hr,"analytics parsing",866
03/18/2009 8:47:38 AM,em,"",1086
03/18/2009 9:05:49 AM,re,"rss",1091
03/18/2009 9:07:58 AM,re,"rss",129
03/18/2009 10:01:23 AM,ps,"CARES",3205
03/18/2009 10:04:26 AM,ip,"av hr",183
03/18/2009 10:13:10 AM,nw,"ref letter",524
03/18/2009 10:16:35 AM,ip,"password",205
03/18/2009 10:23:59 AM,nw,"ref letter",444
03/18/2009 10:24:24 AM,ip,"vet",25
03/18/2009 10:45:51 AM,nw,"ref let",1287
03/18/2009 11:16:44 AM,nw,"ref letter",1853
03/18/2009 11:56:36 AM,tk,"copyright stuff",2392
03/18/2009 11:57:25 AM,ps,"eye appt",49
03/18/2009 12:17:37 PM,tk,"TEACH Act compliance testing (sounds so much better than "ridiculous waste of time")",1212
03/18/2009 12:24:37 PM,tk,"still more teach",420
03/18/2009 12:26:31 PM,tk,"more TEACHing",114
03/18/2009 1:48:15 PM,ps,"miranda",4904
03/18/2009 2:08:37 PM,tk,"TEACH stuff",1222
03/18/2009 2:13:01 PM,iv,"course evals",264
03/18/2009 2:46:27 PM,tk,"TEACH",2006
03/18/2009 3:15:41 PM,iv,"av setup",1754
03/18/2009 3:23:05 PM,iv,"ds",444
03/18/2009 3:27:48 PM,up,"ezmlm digest formats",283
03/18/2009 3:30:04 PM,ip,"spouse",136
03/18/2009 3:37:16 PM,up,"mail format for ezmlm",432
03/18/2009 4:05:13 PM,hr,"ezmlm stuff",1677
03/18/2009 4:08:34 PM,tk,"moodle",201
03/18/2009 4:35:28 PM,tk,"moodle",1614
03/18/2009 5:14:50 PM,iv,"time suck -- I'm going to have to close the door and get a DND sign",2362

03/19/2009 8:13:15 AM,em,"",0
03/19/2009 8:27:30 AM,tk,"moodle prep",855
03/19/2009 8:39:58 AM,re,"rss",748
03/19/2009 8:48:53 AM,ip,"dead mouse",535
03/19/2009 9:27:52 AM,di,"yahoo pipes",2339
03/19/2009 9:31:49 AM,ip,"email sending",237
03/19/2009 9:36:40 AM,ip,"land sakes",291
03/19/2009 9:52:47 AM,iv,"asst",967
03/19/2009 10:05:09 AM,di,"",742
03/19/2009 10:24:11 AM,iv,"asst",1142
03/19/2009 10:34:15 AM,em,"",604
03/19/2009 11:17:52 AM,tk,"record moodle tut",2617
03/19/2009 11:46:57 AM,tk,"moodle tutorial",1745
03/19/2009 11:48:50 AM,tk,"moodle tut",113
03/19/2009 1:07:09 PM,cl,"forum",4699
03/19/2009 1:37:24 PM,up,"check server concurrency settings",1815
03/19/2009 1:40:52 PM,ps,"mmod",208
03/19/2009 1:47:29 PM,ps,"mmod",397
03/19/2009 3:11:06 PM,tk,"moodle tut",5017
03/19/2009 3:30:34 PM,iv,"student",1168
03/19/2009 3:55:25 PM,tk,"faculty search stuff",1491
03/19/2009 5:13:19 PM,tk,"moodle",4674

03/20/2009 8:11:03 AM,ar,"",0
03/20/2009 9:10:09 AM,em,"",3546
03/20/2009 9:42:31 AM,re,"rss",1942
03/20/2009 10:23:28 AM,tk,"moodle tut",2457
03/20/2009 10:36:23 AM,bk,"",775
03/20/2009 11:14:47 AM,tk,"moodle tut",2304
03/20/2009 11:25:46 AM,up,"chapel setup",659
03/20/2009 11:37:20 AM,tk,"moodle tut",694
03/20/2009 12:39:34 PM,up,"chapel record",3734
03/20/2009 1:22:48 PM,bk,"lunch",2594
03/20/2009 1:29:26 PM,tk,"orient asst",398
03/20/2009 1:32:13 PM,ip,"invite",167
03/20/2009 2:27:55 PM,tk,"moodle tutorials",3342
03/20/2009 2:44:29 PM,bk,"d",994
03/20/2009 3:06:42 PM,em,"",1333
03/20/2009 3:18:24 PM,tk,"moodle",702
03/20/2009 3:25:51 PM,ip,"spouse",447
03/20/2009 4:55:43 PM,tk,"moodle tuts",5392
03/20/2009 5:05:45 PM,re,"rss",602

How to Read These Posts

These posts are posted by a perl script I wrote to parse the output of a text file created by a slightly modified version of quicklogger. Posts on Tuesday through Saturday cover one work day; posts on Monday summarize the previous work week.

The parser relies heavily on two-letter codes, visible in the raw data. These codes went into effect July 1, 2016:

ar = arrive (as in, "this is when I arrived at work")
bk/ps = break (unpaid) or personal stuff
mt = meeting
mr = meeting-related (preparation/followup)
bm = budget management (shame on you)
re = reading/research
or = ordering
tr = training (includes telling someone how to do something, not just student supervision)
su = supervision
pr = project (just a task, but longer -- I know them when I see them)
av = specific AV-related task or project
hr/tk = short task/project done immediately (hr = something someone asked me to do; tk = something I decided to do just right then without planning for it)
ro/on = routine or ongoing task/project - stuff I do regularly for whatever reason
tm = task I initiated (but planned to do at a particular time, not something I just thought of this moment)
to,ob = task initiated at another's behest, but something I scheduled to work on at this particular time (not an emergency or spontaneous "let's just get this done" thing)
nw = meta-work (recording vacation, registering for a conference, rewriting the joblogger, chatting with the colleague whose quick question turned into a longer discussion about unrelated things [pastoral care work])
cl = community life stuff (chapel, forum, breaks)
co,em = correspondence, consultation, email

These tasks often flow into one another, so a spontaneous task (tk) includes not only the work I'm doing, but also the three interruptions in the hallway (that would normally be categorized as hr or co) that I dealt with while completing it.

Additionally, the categories are not strict. Tasks (tk or tm or to) have a tendency to become projects (pr), sometimes depending on nothing more than how I feel about them.

And, lest you think I spend all my time at work logging what I do at work instead of actually working, I'll break it down for you: if I average 50 log entries per day, and if each entry takes five seconds, that's six minutes and 10 seconds of each day committed to logging. Not nothing, but also not massive. And each entry probably takes less time than that -- I'm a touch typist, so most of the time entering in the log is related to waiting on the quicklogger to wake up when I press Ctrl-Alt-L. And even then I'm not sure more than five seconds pass.

Now the time coding and re-coding and remembering to use my new codes ... well, that's different. Let's call it nw.

So why the change? The new codes fit more neatly into categories in my job description so that when annual reporting and job description review comes up I can be a bit less impressionistic.

*** Older codes follow ***

These codes went into effect January 2, 2008, and are now obsolete:

ar = arrive (as in, "this is when I arrived at work")
bk/ps = break (unpaid) or personal stuff
di = distraction (self-imposed interruption)
ic = interruption by instant messenger (chat)
ip = interruption by phone
iv = interruption by visit
hr/up = help request or unplanned task (something that comes up as a result of checking my e-mail or phone messages -- usually not the result of an interruption)
mt = meeting
ch = chat initiated by me (should be rare)
em = e-mail checking/corresponding
ph = phone (calling, checking messages)
vi = visit (initiated by me)
hc = housecleaning (office)
tk = planned task or project
re = reading and research
cl = community life (this includes various all campus events, special and regular breaks, forum, chapel, etc.)
nw = work-related non-work things (for those things that aren't exactly community life, but are also not exactly work -- conference registration comes to mind)

*** Original Codes Follow ***

Original code set (2007) - now obsolete:

ar = arrive (as in, "this is when I arrived at work")
bk = break
mt = meeting
ic = interruption by instant messenger (chat)
ie = interruption by e-mail (as in, "I was doing something else and an e-mail popped up on my screen because that's my preferred method of receiving help requests")
ip = interruption by phone
iv = interruption by visit
ch = chat initiated by me
em = e-mail correspondence initiated by me
ph = phone correspondence initiated by me
vi = visit initiated by me (presumably, if others were logging these last three things, there would be a corresponding "iv," "ip," or "ie")
ps = some personal task (as in, "Oooo ... I forgot to check the bank balance, maybe I should do that before I forget")
hc = housecleaning (as in, "I better check my e-mail, listen to my phone messages, and clean up this clutter on my desk, NOW!")
tk = planned task
re = reading and research

Joblog on the Lintels

Monday, March 23, 2009

Work Summary for the Week ending Friday, 20 March, 2009

How to Read These Posts

Blog Archive

About Me