The Thirds: Sleeping, Working, and You!
I’ve come to think about life in terms of “The Thirds.” Culturally we’re told that 8 hours of sleep constitutes a good night sleep, and businesses generally operate within an 8 hour work day, which leaves 8 hours for the rest of life to fit into. It’s no secret, but just in case you’re not with me: 24 divided by 8 = 3, which means our days are divided into thirds and the philosophy of the “micro = macro” equation brings us to a simple logical conclusion that our lives – as a whole – are therefore divided by “The Thirds.”
There’s the Bait… Now the Switch:
The division isn’t quite that simple though because even though 24 hours is simply divided into “The Thirds” by 8 hours three times, we still have this mysterious weekly remainder of 48 hours – more commonly referred to as: The Weekend. However, I consider this “The Remainder” because it’s the time we use to fit in all the remaining things necessary for a complete existence that didn’t fit into our daily thirds. This could be more work, more sleep, or more time for our selves.
The debate over whether or not it’s healthy to compartmentalize your life can go back and forth, but through my work as a keyboard & mouse professional I know that it’s not healthy to sit our bodies in front of a computer for more than 5 consecutive hours per day, let alone 8 hours! This recent theory of compartmentalizing my day into “The Thirds” has helped me stay aware of how much time I’m spending in front of the computer. There’s a great article I was sent last week called: You, Unplugged. In this article, a 2002 study at Tokyo’s Chiba University is mentioned as concluding:
“… workers who spent more than five consecutive hours in front of a computer screen experienced problems ranging from headaches, eyestrain and stiff shoulders to depression, anxiety, fatigue and sleep disturbances.”
This is not news to me, just a really great reminder. This article was delivered to me at the right time. Over the past few months I’ve been trying to make a concerted effort to intertwine the two thirds of my day that aren’t spent sleeping, in an effort to avoid burn-out and health problems later in life, caused by spending too many consecutive hours in front of the keyboard & mouse (trackpads count too!).
Interconnecting my two waking-hour thirds also helps to avoid the territorial anxiety I feel when one inevitably encroaches upon the other. If I put too much stock into the idea that my “Working Third” is spent working and “My Third” is spent not working, I’m just asking for anxiety and/or less time for my “Sleeping Third.” Life is entirely too dynamic for this kind of thinking.
Like any shift in habit, this is an ever-evolving process but so far I’m enjoying it. At NetCrafters, we use a tool called: The Emergent Task Timer (I call them bubble sheets because of the little bubbles you fill in to track your time) which is an amazing aid for keeping track of where you’re spending your working time during the day. It’s dynamic enough that when used properly it’s easy to track your time even on a day when you might work 3 hours here, 2 hours there, a long lunch, then a few hours in the evening. With the bubble sheets there’s no anxiety if I decide to go for a walk at 2 o’clock (with my cell phone of course.. just in case!) because I know I won’t lose track of my “Working Third” when I decide to have a piece of “My Third” pie in the morning or early afternoon. 
The Hook:
Don’t be too strict. Stopping points are everything. Just because I’ve hit my 8 hours doesn’t mean I have to stop right then and there. I may need another hour to get to a good stopping point for my “Working Third” so I can move cleanly into a “My Third” activity. This works both ways though and the reverse is much harder to slide within our culture. You may have only spent 7 hours on the “Working Third” today, but you’re at an excellent stopping point and you know that the next things on your list will take you past your 8 hours to get to the next good stopping point. It’s okay to stop at 7 hours or even 6.5!
Everything always balances out in “The Remainder,” if you’re mindful about it. When thinking about my available time in between planned activities on the weekend, I try to take a look at how much time I’ve spent during “My Thirds” for the week so I can catch up on sleep, work or play time.