Hello! I kept track of my time on Sunday, September 28, 2025, 7:45am-12:45pm. Here is what I did:
Arrived at my sister’s home in Queens to take care of her two daughters (my nieces) while she and her husband were out; settled in; received instructions for the day from my sister — 0.25
Watched Scooby Doo and other cartoons on the couch with my nieces — 1.0
Prepared breakfast for my nieces (1/2 bagel with butter each, plus watermelon); tried unsuccessfully to get them to stay at dining table to eat it — 0.50
Walked with nieces from their home to church, previewing vendors at street fair along the way – 0.50
Participated in church service; chatted with parishioners and pastor after service – 1.50
Walked through street fair; visited various vendors; enjoyed zeppoles with my nieces (their first time!); negotiated with 4 year old niece over how many items I would buy her (I told her I’d buy each of them one item; she unsuccessfully tried to convince me to buy her two items — the 2 year old apparently was happy to get just one item) — 1.0
Met up with my sister and her husband at street fair; provided briefing on my time with nieces; then relinquished my child care duties for the day — 0.25
My reaction: I expected that I would find this activity very unpleasant. I recall that when I worked at the law firm, and we had to keep meticulous track of how we spent our working time, I didn’t like the idea that I needed to engage in such a tedious task so the firm could make money. However, maybe because there was no “price tag” attached to it this time, I actually kind of enjoyed it. I found that I was more “mindful” of what I did and how I spent my time than I normally am, just going through my day without thinking about time. Maybe also because I was doing fun things!
KC
