“I've got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen.”
― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
I have been plugging away here to get these deadline pieces done. My eyes were beginning to cross and I was beginning to ramble on more than I should, so I thought I would take a break and get at least one post done this week.
I realized just how easy it is to get caught up in working excessively when you are self employed like me and work out of your home. True we don't have travel time to get to work, but it is so easy to put in some extremely long days. I have been working steady since about 7:00 this morning, It's now 5:00 and I will probably put in at least a couple more hours today. So I will probably put in a 12 hour day today. And the last 5-6 days have been about the same. Getting tired.
So how do you draw the line and not burn one's self out?
Since I really need to get this last pattern written up today or tomorrow it's hard to just walk away and take some me time.
Don't get me wrong I do love what I am doing. But I seriously don't want to become burned out by it either.
I already had one passion in my life become a job and I don't want to go there with my designing.
So how do you meet deadlines and still retain your creative freedom.
Do you set certain work times....? Days off? If so how do you meet some of these deadlines that overlap and demand every moment you can apply yourself to a hook to finish.
I want to know................
I do have a few pictures from the petrified forest for you. I finally took a few minutes and got them ready to post.
Standing on the edge of the Ravine. Not as scary as the Grand canyon here. Marv was so sweet when he suggested we finish our weekend up here instead of at the canyon. I had a much better time.
Painted desert. Marv got this shot
Blue Mesa in the Petrified forest. It was wonderful getting to walk down into the canyons.
Marv and Pop taking a break
And of course a photo shoot would not be complete if a flower didn't jump in front of my camera. They are such hams.....
In my freelance days, 12 hour days were the norm. I was in a position where that was my only income, and if I didn't work a lot, things got very tight. Mix that with my obsessive behavior and it was a real challenge to make myself take walks and do things unrelated to work. Designs and deadlines were definitely my focus.
ReplyDeleteIt is still a challenge to keep a balance. The good news is that it is still a delight to take my hook and some yarn and create.
Well, as you know I am not self employed but the all consuming nature of the work I do often takes on the same qualities of excessive commitment sometimes. I find what makes things balance is that I schedule in things that are completely different, that I want to do, and that I place on the same priority scale as the passion I have for doing my job well. I think you share the same family trait as I do that makes us approach everything as an "all or nothing" affair such that once in we go all out. However, lately I am learning that it is fine (and very rewarding) to just "do" without necessarily being great at what I am doing. At the age of (gasp!) 50, I am learning to play the violin. Something I have always wanted to do. Now I am doing it with the help of a good teacher and the patient kindness of my husband. It is a very humbling experience, and it will take me the next 50 years (assuming I live that long) to play well, and I may never do that, but it is fun just pursueing something I have always wanted to do.
ReplyDeleteGet your deadlines done and then do something different - invest in yourself in some manner - and return to the next project fresher for having done so.