You gotta serve somebody

I intend to graduate from George Mason University with a Master's degree in Instructional Technology. You wouldn't know it by my efforts so far.

I've stalled in just my second class. My efforts are confined by two oppressive masters: time and energy. How do you find them?

I planned to make 5:30 - 7:30 a.m. my graduate school hours, because the family demands my time after work. The alarm clock rarely withstands my fist. My next option is after 9 p.m., when I find I have only 40% concentration. I don't have enough to go around.

While knuckling my forehead, it finally came to me: You gotta serve somebody. According to Bob Dylan,

They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed.

I've identified the people I serve, and wonder if I have too many:

1. My wife and my baby girls.
   I leave it to them to decide who is 1a and 1b. They all have so, so many questions, and one of my jobs is to answer them all.
   


2. My employers.
   Nearly 10 years ago, I started my own web development business, seeking freedom from corporate guidelines. Now I embrace them for the opportunity to work with people around the world, and create global interactive properties. These are career opportunities. The company demands my time, too.
   


3. The good people at George Mason University.
   They demand nothing from me, only set high goals and expectations. No one calls you in graduate school when you don't come to class. No one calls at all; we're all adults. I figured this program might take no time at all, and that's what I allotted. What a mistake.
   


4. My North Arlington home and the mortgage.
   One year ago to this day, I climbed out of my basement for the third time. We'd flooded. In less than an hour, our basement filled with 10 feet of water in what the county called a 200-year flood. They also called it, not their problem. My wife and I have spent the past 12 months working with the federal government, insurance agents and contractors to re-build – and pay for – our home. We get tired sometimes.
   


5. Education.
   It all depends how you look at it:
   
   
   
   • Reading blogs until midnight might seem frivolous, or maybe it's the way to finally perfect your AJAX code.
     
   
   
   • Heading to the SXSW festival for four days with no sleep could be a boondoggle, or a terrific way to stay on the bleeding edge of the industry and come away with two years of ideas.
     
   
   
   • A Saturday morning meeting of the DC Information Architect club might seem like a waste, or a tremendous networking opportunity and inspiration from distance peers.
     
   
   
   • Taking another business class at work might seem like losing time you don't have, or finally the way to understand – and demand – excellent requirements documentation.
     
   
   
6. Everybody else.
   Those frequent trips to the pediatrician for "diaper rash;" those frequent "emergency" conference calls with Europe and Asia at 11 p.m., 6 a.m., whenever; those time-sucking tasks that steal the last two hours of the week you set aside for yourself.
   

I have read two interesting accounts of time management.

• An Enron executive seized an opportunity early in her career. The company paid for her to get her MBA at Harvard. A single mother, she took her twins sons with her. The only time she allowed herself each day was a 45-minute run. Otherwise, she was studying or mothering.
  


• Two volleyball players at C.W. Post were interviewed in The New York Times. When asked what they learned in college, they said, 'How to study when tired.' The only time they had to study, when they had continuous hours, was on the bus trips home from college matches.
  

I think about these people often. If I can't learn something from them, I can't earn this Master's degree.

You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame
You may be living in another country under another name
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Yes indeed.