I have recently been consumed with the idea of time; how little there seems to be to get things done. And what about time for doing things we love? It seems that is the first to go. I’ve always felt extremely “busy” and constantly pulled in many directions. Elise Cripe recently wrote about our obsession with being “busy.” She wrote about a period in her life when she felt she had lost the ability to process information (after having a child) and I can completely relate to that (hello, 13 month old). So what do I do when I feel like I am spinning in circles and getting nowhere but still so “busy?” I try to organize and schedule my time better. I love structure and have always been a huge fan of paper planners, so I document my days. This helps for certain tasks (phone calls to make, client meetings, producing reports, etc.,) but it doesn’t help with the time I want to devote to myself, my creativity, my personal passions. Why? Because writing on my calendar “work on blog” or “creative writing” seems frivolous. My personal writing doesn’t bring me any money, there is no “point” to doing it, it’s a waste of time. This is what my inner critic says and I really need to work on silencing her, but still she persists.
I truly believe that the right guides and messages find you at the right time. I’m always amazed when this happens. Today Ali Edwards posted a snapshot on Instagram of a book she was reading. A book called THE FRINGE HOURS: Making Time for You by Jessica N. Turner. Wow! Talk about perfect timing! I checked out her book and read all about Jessica’s inspiring message. I was then directed to Jessica’s website, The Mom Creative, and learned that she is a working mom who works full time outside of the home and still found the time to run a popular website and write a book! Jessica writes,
In the fringe hours, I escape this little corner of the web to write. The Mom Creative is all about creating a life well-crafted, which means different things on different days. Sometimes I like to write about my latest memory keeping endeavors, while other days I write about my favorite online deals. The Mom Creative isn’t one thing. Its a host of many topics that make up my crazy, beautiful life. Regardless of the topic, it is my sincere hope that together my words encourage and equip women.
That is what I am hoping to do with this little space. I want to give myself a little corner of the internet to explore my own creative endeavors, to voice my opinions, ask questions and, hopefully, provide answers, relief, or that blessed feeling of camaraderie. There are so many of us out there – busy women, working women, working moms – and we have so many worries and concerns and wishes and hopes and fears. The problem is that we put ourselves dead last. We stop asking ourselves what we want to do with our days and instead think about what he have to do with our days. It’s time to change our way of thinking. We have to honor ourselves and give ourselves the gift of time. Yes, we are still going to be busy. Life is busy. Busy is good and productive and empowering and can make you feel accomplished in so many beautiful ways. But being so busy with other people’s demands or needs or wants and not giving back to ourselves is a mistake. Make room for you in your busy, busy life.
We over-yes and over-commit and go from morning til night with little margin. Pushing our passions aside seems like the easiest way to keep our heads above water.
But I promise, there is a better way. You can find time for yourself in the fringe hours
of the day. And when you redeems those hours for yourself, not only will you be happier, but you will thrive in every other area of your life.
“Women need real moments of solitiude and self-reflection to balance out how much of ourselves we give away. ~Barbara de Angelis
