How do you count your hours?

IsmaeljrpIsmaeljrp Member Posts: 480 ■■■□□□□□□□
in CCIE
Am I the only one that counts my hours with a stopwatch?

I hear so many people saying, "I study 4 hours on weekdays, with a full time job and kids + marriage". What does those 4 hours mean?

For example, If I have to get a refill of my water, or use the restroom, my clock stops. If my wife pops in the room to ask me something, the clock stops. If I have to get up and stretch for a couple minutes my clock stops. For me I've noticed for each hour I truely study there is at least 5-15 minutes of overhead and I do not count that time as study time.

I know the point isn't accumulating hours of study, but sometimes I'm like "how do these monsters do it? 4, 6 hours a night? on a wednesday? really?" Are their families completely neglected?".
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Comments

  • TheFORCETheFORCE Senior Member Member Posts: 2,298 ■■■■■■■■□□
    That's too much, live a little, let the time flow. I personally never counted my hours of study. I did what i could when i could. Less stressful that way.
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  • TechGromitTechGromit GSEC, GCIH, GREM, Ontario, NY Member Posts: 2,119 ■■■■■■■■■□
    Why count your hours? If I'm in the "zone" I might study for 4 hours straight, if I can't keep my focus, I might only study for an hour. There no rule you have to study 4 hours if your not getting any benefit from studying. The only important thing to remember is keep trying to study, if you keep making excuses why you can't focus on studying and keep stopping after 30 minutes, THAN it's time to place strict study time periods in place. If you know your have to study for 4 hours, regardless of weather or not your getting benefit from it, chances are you'll start to get serious about studying.
    Still searching for the corner in a round room.
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  • IsmaeljrpIsmaeljrp Member Posts: 480 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Completely agree with both of you. I feel good with my study flow, I'm just really curious to how others define study time. As well as how they do it with a full plate.

    The way I imagine it sometimes (kinda funny), some CCIE aspirant getting home at 6pm spend an hour with wife and kids, eat dinner, take a shower. Whats that like 90 minutes already. Then tell the fam, I'm dead to you until 1 am because it's 7:30pm and I need my 4 hours. What happened to everything else? That door that needed to get painted, your workout, (insert mandatory activities of a responsible adult here).

    I know, this is rare. I've been reading that book from 2doubleccies. Quite honestly, the way they describe there study time I'm just like: yep, I can expect estranged kids and divorce papers throughout my journey.
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  • tunerXtunerX Member Posts: 447 ■■■□□□□□□□
    I only estimate.
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  • IsmaeljrpIsmaeljrp Member Posts: 480 ■■■□□□□□□□
    This book is so funny though and these guys are insanely lucky. Page 58-59:
    "CCIE had to be our top priority. This meant it took precedance over birthdays, anniversaries..."

    Really!? lol

    Heaven forbid I put the CCIE over my marriage anniversary, or my kids birthday (don't have any yet)... I'd probably be paying the exam fee and child support on the same day.
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