Musings { Dream vs Reality, part deux

My dream work day:

06:00 alarm, get up feed the pets, start a pot of coffee, shave, shower

07:00-08:00 read the paper, sip coffee, munch toast, collect myself and my portable office

08:00 catch the bus to work

08:15-09:00 check email, review my calendar, organize a daily to-do list

09:00-11:00 morning project work or break/fix

11:00-12:00 lunch, walk in the park

12:00-15:00 afternoon project work or break/fix

15:00-16:00 documentation

16:00-17:00 professional development/interest work

17:00 catch the bus home

17:15-18:30 feed the pets, start dinner

18:30-19:30 dinner w/ nerdwife

19:30-20:30 bike ride

20:30-22:30 personal time

22:30 bed

deep, refreshing sleep.


Harsh
Reality:

06:30 alarm goes off, hit snooze
06:38 alarm goes off, hit snooze
06:46 alarm goes off, hit snooze
06:54 alarm goes off, hit snooze
07:02 alarm goes off, hit snooze (for nerdwife), get up, ignore cats begging, stumble into shower, shave if remember
07:30-07:40 stare at closet deciding on what to wear while still trying to get awake, frantically get dressed
07:40-07:48 rummage for something quick for breakfast, curse self for not setting timer on coffee machine
07:48-08:05 miss bus, have to wait until 09:05 or walk in, during time assemble mental list, read front page of newspaper
08:55 catch 9am bus, because its early

09:15 sit down, unpack work laptop
09:16 priority interrupt by someone needing immediate help because they could not page the on call
09:17 see 09:16
09:18 see 09:16
09:30 after fires have been beaten down to smoking, smolderings get coffee from closest source (usually terrible) and if available something I really shouldn't be eating from the breakfast cart

09:32 priority interrupt
09:40 management looking for update on project X
09:41 (with management still in room) customer looking for update on project X
09:55 start working on project X
09:56 prioirity interrupt, production system on fire
10:20 check email
10:21 delete 90% of email due to system spam (i.e. messages from root mail that are meaningless)
10:22 send response to 5% of emails requiring one, ignore voicemail
10:25 try to remember to-do list, generate new to-do list
10:26 remember project X should be on to-do list, add it
10:27 start working on to-do list, update podcasts, start listening to music
10:28 get to the good part of song and start getting into a work groove, priority interrupt, system down (i.e. user forgot password)
10:29-10:45 take a walk to calm down/clear mind
10:45 wonder about lunch
11:25 grab quick lunch from Sodex'ho bag-n-gag kiosk
11:26-11:28 eat bag-n-gag
11:30-12:30 make progress on project X b/c everyone else is at lunch
12:55 priority interrupt, reminder that 1pm meeting is scheduled
13:00-14:30 sit in meeting where a lot is discussed and little progress made, lose morale while they discuss lack of progress made on project X

14:30 take walk, discover it is nice day, wish I could be outside, lower morale further
15:00 sit down and attempt to work on project X
15:01 priority interrupt, false alarm
15:05 priority interrupt
15:20-16:00 organize post-it notes
16:00-16:55 resume project X work
5 minutes before time to catch bus home, priority interrupt, major system down, spend next 2 hours fixing
~19:00 get home, too exhausted to cook, start quest for food/call pizza delievery
20:30 get home from quest for food, start personal time
22:30 go to bed
22:30-00:30 worry about what has not been accomplished, try to create tomorrow's mental to-do list (which will be forgotten by morning)
fall into fitful sleep
repeat.