The routine aspect of the genius hour project is definitely one of my biggest challenges--but to be honest I feel like I have no excuse. Without any children to take care of, or a coaching position that requires me to stay after school constantly, or even a pet to come home to...15-20 minutes a day is SO doable. That being said, adding something new to my daily routine is a true struggle and adjustment. However, I am trying my best to stick with a daily 20-minute period where I can work at this passion project.
Eliminating distractions has been the most beneficial way to truly focus and commit to the 20 minutes a day I am spending researching and learning about the issue of hunger in the Chicagoland area. When I sit down and take out my laptop, I put my phone on airplane mode, and I do not allow myself to get tab-happy--only tabs relevant to my research are open. No Facebook, Youtube, email--nothing else is open. I do not have the TV on in the background and I don’t even play music, for fear of getting sucked into the world of Spotify playlists.
The time of day that has been working best for me to devote to this project is when I get home from work (typically around 4pm). I make it a priority before I start grading papers, lesson planning, or napping. This is the time of day I still have a slight bit of motivation left. When I have commitments after school (like tutoring or chaperoning a basketball game), this can throw off my routine. By the time I get home around 5-6pm, I am exhausted, and the true intrinsic motivation has to kick in. The good news is I love this project! Yes, some evenings I would rather lay in bed and binge Netflix, but since the foundation of this experience is something I am genuinely passionate about, it makes the 20 minutes a day seem less of a “to do” and more of a “may do” and making the conscious choice each day to learn more about the fight against hunger.
Also, I rallied 4 friends to volunteer with me at the Chicago Food Depository in December, so recruitment has been a success!
Paige -
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful thing you are doing. I like that you are taking action and will volunteer your time at the Greater Chicago Food Depository in December and have others coming with you. I'm sure you are talking with others about what you are involved in. I hope it inspires others and gets more people to join in the fight against hunger. If you ever want to speak with someone who is a director of a food pantry, let me know. My father is on the board of the West Suburban Community Pantry (https://wscpantry.org/) and I'm sure he would facilitate you making contact with the director.
Brian
Thank you for the contact info, Brian! That's so admirable that your father is on the board of that pantry! I'd love to be involved in something like that one day.
DeletePaige, I admire your honesty in reflection here. Teaching days are long and even with "no excuses" (as you say!), it's still hard to force routines. I think you've found the right project for you, though, because it seems to get you in the flow! Keep up the great work :)
ReplyDeletePaige - I like your idea of having 20 minutes per day to focus on your project. I coach after school and usually don't get home until around 6:00 pm so I normally don't do anything once I get home - I'm too tired! Lol However, when coaching season is over I definitely could see myself doing the 20 minutes per day idea. Right now, I just do 2 straight hours of my project on Sunday's while my husband is watching football :) Thanks for sharing!
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