In the spirit of Oliver Cromwell, I treat Xmas day as a day of work — ¡Viva la Segunda Republica!
But I didn't get started until after 11am and I decided to devoted a fair part of the day to 'review' — having accepted the necessity of a 'strategic withdrawal' on the issues of sleep and routine.
Review — how to get to bed earlier and make simpler task-switching decisions that reconcile contingencies with overarching learning goals.
Review
A cursory glance at the routine checklist reveals a lot of crosses in the early morning and late afternon.[1]
The morning pattern has obvious causes, related to my noise sensitivity:
- Going to bed too late
- Not getting to sleep quickly enough — external noise
- Being woken c. 0700-0730 — by external noise
- Being unable to recover lost sleep after 0730 — circadian rhythm
External noise is something over which I have little control. So I need to get to sleep earlier, to exploit the window that usualy exists between 11pm and 1am — after restaurant speaker noise subsides and before restaurant cleaner noise kicks off. I also need to steel myself to insist that restaurant music is turned off after 11pm — and continually remind cleaners be more considerate.
The afternoon pattern is, almost certainly, attributable to circadian rhythms — greatly exaserbated by poor winter light.
Compelling social engagement means that it's rarely a problem when I'm teaching. But I think I may have to accept that solo mental effort in Session 4 (1430-1600) is simply non-viable — as are any thoughts of a siesta workaround.
So tasks requiring high levels of motivation or mental focus should be assigned to sessions 1-3. And that suggests the notion of, at least partially, merging the task checklist with the routine checklist.
There's merit in tracking routine building and task completion separately — not least, because it allows me to choose tasks based on my disposition at a given moment. The circle might be square-able, by assigning groups/types of task to given sessions — rather than individual tasks.
Another consideration is the possibility of allowing physical exercise in session 4. Cycling, etc. is certainly do-able during the afternoon mental dip. And more easily in winter light than winter night.
The time between meals is definitely unbalanced — almost encouraging the late afternoon dip. The only way I can imagine to balance the gaps between meals, while maintaining the same routine for teaching and non-teaching days, is to shift the running times for teaching until later. But that creates severe problems for combining students from CET and GMT in the same online caorses.
Food and exercise. Not only have I been doing less phyical exercise, but sugars and alcohol have wormed their way back into my diet recently — and to excess over Christmas.
I'm not going to fundamentally deal with all of the above today or even this week — but I am going to deal with the food and exercise problem, starting tomorrow morning.
Footnotes
- Ticks for session 4 ocurred on days of both exceptional motivation and late starts.
Routine Checklist
Legend
- Ticks — right activity on time
- Crosses — not done to schedule
- Hyphens — not applicable to currrent routine configuration
| Task | M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0730 - Wake | - | - | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | |
| 0745 - Exercise | - | - | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | |
| 0815 - Break (-fast) | - | - | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | |
| 0830 - Set-up | - | - | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | |
| 0845 - Session 1 | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | |
| 1015 - Break | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| 1030 - Session 2 | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| 1200 - Dinner | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| 1245 - Session 3 | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| 1415 - Break | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| 1430 - Session 4 | - | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| 1600 — Break | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| 1630 - Exercise | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | |
| 1745 - Break | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | |
| 1800 - Tea | - | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | |
| 1845 - Maintenance | - | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | |
| 1945 - Break | - | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| 2000 - Relax | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| 2200 - Review, | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| 2230 - Bed | - | - | - | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
Learning Tasks Checklist
| Task | M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speak read press aloud | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| Speak read fiction aloud | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| Speak non-fiction | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| Listen & speak phrases | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| Listen & speak sentences | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| Listen & speak answer Qs | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| Listen & sing - a song | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| Aural comprehension test | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Reading comprehension | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Grammar exercise | - | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| Conjugate cue verbs | - | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| Listen to radio news | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| Write radio news sum. | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | |
| Listen to fiction | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| Listen to non-fiction | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| Read press | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Write press translation | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | |
| Read fiction | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| Read non-fiction | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| Write stop positions | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | |
| Listen to my speech | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | Write 'issues' notes | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Physical exercise | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | |
| Watch subbed drama | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Watch subbed film | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | |
| Watch no-sub docu | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ | |
| Research lang. acquisition | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | |
| Review this checklist | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |