Something I've learned upon having two children: 24 hours is not enough time for everything that needs to be done in a day.
There's a reason why I haven't written in a while-- with two children there is only so much time every day that one gets to spend on things other than the tasks of daily life-- and lately I've been spending my extra few moments on other things that recharge my soul, mostly larger goals and projects-- also gardening and activities that clear my head.
I've been thinking a lot lately about the concept of budgeting in relation to hours of the day. As an artist, it is always my goal to have at least two hours a day to devote to my work. Two hours out of 24 doesn't seem like it should be that hard to capture, but with two children it's often hard to find. Still, it's not impossible if you focus on little things. For example:
--Cooking in batches instead of singular meals every day slashes a little time (we've been slacking on this lately; definitely need to get back to it again)
--Joining a new gym, despite the heartbreak, gives me back an hour and a half of time normally just spent driving.
--Experimenting with illustration markers instead of paint allows me to chisel time off set up and clean up
--etc.....
Also, (and I'm absolutely serious when I say this) I've been putting my insomnia to good use lately. Usually there is at least an hour or two every night after I've been up with the baby when I'm just awake in bed, my head racing around the world a million miles a minute. I've been trying to focus that energy lately, and use it to think hard about projects and goals that I want to make happen. Insomnia is a funny thing-- someone once told me that insomnia stems from your brain forcing you to think about stuff that it isn't allowed the time to think about during the day. I think a lot of great ideas can come out of a little insomnia, especially if you just give your brain a slight push in the direction you want it to race in....
Anyway-- in summery, it's been a while since I've written in this bloggy blog because my time is just so limited and is being used in other ways. I love writing about my children, but lately I just need my extra minutes to use in ways that give my mind a bit of a break from mommy hood.
I'd be curious to know how other mom and dads do it: How do you chisel out those moments of the day for yourself? What are your strategies for finding time for yourself?
There's a reason why I haven't written in a while-- with two children there is only so much time every day that one gets to spend on things other than the tasks of daily life-- and lately I've been spending my extra few moments on other things that recharge my soul, mostly larger goals and projects-- also gardening and activities that clear my head.
I've been thinking a lot lately about the concept of budgeting in relation to hours of the day. As an artist, it is always my goal to have at least two hours a day to devote to my work. Two hours out of 24 doesn't seem like it should be that hard to capture, but with two children it's often hard to find. Still, it's not impossible if you focus on little things. For example:
--Cooking in batches instead of singular meals every day slashes a little time (we've been slacking on this lately; definitely need to get back to it again)
--Joining a new gym, despite the heartbreak, gives me back an hour and a half of time normally just spent driving.
--Experimenting with illustration markers instead of paint allows me to chisel time off set up and clean up
--etc.....
Also, (and I'm absolutely serious when I say this) I've been putting my insomnia to good use lately. Usually there is at least an hour or two every night after I've been up with the baby when I'm just awake in bed, my head racing around the world a million miles a minute. I've been trying to focus that energy lately, and use it to think hard about projects and goals that I want to make happen. Insomnia is a funny thing-- someone once told me that insomnia stems from your brain forcing you to think about stuff that it isn't allowed the time to think about during the day. I think a lot of great ideas can come out of a little insomnia, especially if you just give your brain a slight push in the direction you want it to race in....
Anyway-- in summery, it's been a while since I've written in this bloggy blog because my time is just so limited and is being used in other ways. I love writing about my children, but lately I just need my extra minutes to use in ways that give my mind a bit of a break from mommy hood.
I'd be curious to know how other mom and dads do it: How do you chisel out those moments of the day for yourself? What are your strategies for finding time for yourself?
