# workload medium post

some brainstorming about the post... i definitely want to talk about efforts to monitor engagement through additional tasks, but i'm thinking about perhaps having that point fall under an expanded premise of something i think @marlon eluded to yesterday, which is this sort of paradoxical idea of time gained as time lost. not only are we actually a bit busier because of a seemingly larger workload, but we also lose this specific type of time, characterized as being neither deliberate nor avoidable, that occurs in pockets between, for example, walking from class to home. this type of time almost acts like a sort of divider between tasks/parts of the day that allow for a mental reset of sorts. we've lost this type of time as we now can transition from into a different part of the day with only a few footsteps. additionally, this type of time also acted as a barrier of availability, whereas now we are able to be/sometimes expected be "anywhere" with just a click.

i think college during "normal times" already blurs the lines between work and personal life, but this is so amplified in these circumstances

this type of time is even present within the classroom setting when we transition into different activities such as small group discussions etc., whereas now it is done almost instantaneously. this could perhaps seem more convenient, but again it causes us to lose this time that acts as a "mental buffer," indicating that we are transitioning into something else. sometimes i'm plopped into a breakout room and have to take a moment to sort of reorient myself.