I spent much of the last two years waking up and feeling rushed for time. It wasn’t because I was oversleeping or because I was completely behind on work. It was because of the self-imposed schedule I’d placed on myself. I’d planned out every hour of my week—both work and rest—and it still didn’t feel like I was devoting enough to either.
Add in all the doom and gloom news and the curated “life has never been better for me!” posts showing up in my social media feeds, and it’s no wonder I felt like there wasn’t a big enough cup of coffee to get me through my day.
But then I started considering my time and my focus. And I realized that some adjustments needed to be made. It’s been a slow process that’s taken me the better part of a year to work my way into, but I’ve discovered a few things about myself along the way that have been more than a little enlightening.
The only thing more precious than time is how you choose to spend it
This is just as true creatively as it is physically, emotionally, and spiritually. If you’re waking up dreading your day and the things you have to do, it might be time to re-evaluate what you’re trying to accomplish, and why.
Perhaps that self-imposed deadline to finish writing your first draft is a bit too tight with your current work schedule and family commitments. Perhaps it feels like you’re spending all your time creating content for your social media accounts and have nothing left for your WIP. Yes, it feels good to develop a following, but trying to keep those online likes and engagements up on a daily basis on top of trying to write your book may be overly depleting your creative well. Or it might be an unconscious attempt to avoid something you’re afraid of doing—like finishing your book.
It’s time to find a healthy balance when it comes to putting our creative time to work.
We are by nature, finite creatures. There’s a limit to what we can do and how long we can do it. What works well for us one week might not be feasible the next week. And that thing we spent so much time stressing and obsessing over will eventually be so far behind us we can no longer see it in our rearview mirror.
Something that has been helpful for me this past year has been learning to give myself more space in my weekly schedules, and remembering that God has given me all the time I need to complete each task He hands me. This in turn has prompted me to start having some real frank conversations with Him each day, both about what I’m excited about and what I’m anxious about.
I’ve started evaluating the media I consume and the writing/editing opportunities that come my way and asking myself, “What’s a good fit, what’s a bad fit, and what’s a best fit for the time I have this week when balanced with my other daily obligations and needs?”
Your time is precious. And what you choose to invest it in now will impact what it yields for you later. Once you identify which activities and goals are most important to you and why (even if only for a short season), try looking for simple ways to start making some adjustments to your day-to-day life until you find a healthy balance that leaves you feeling ready (and excited) to create again.
Endure fort, my friend!
—Jen