Time and space...thought I was going to launch into a science discussion, didn't you? But, no...I want to talk about carving out time and space for our creative endeavors. Some of us work full-time on our creative projects; some of us have made careers from them. Others of us pursue our creative work in the time tucked between full-time work, caring for children and other family members, running errands, doing chores, and generally maintaining our lives. We end up trying to squeeze our projects in-between all of life's other moments. How do we manage to consistently find time to pursue our work?
Like with any planning, it's best to start with a realistic accounting of how we currently manage our time. What do our schedules look like, normally? Of course, things come up and we aren't guaranteed to have the same sort of day every day, but it is possible to create a rough idea of how one generally spends time each day. Are there spaces of time that can be used for our work? Maybe we spend an hour scrolling social media each day. Maybe we spend a few hours each day watching television. Maybe there is at least an hour each evening that we can carve out for our work. To ensure that we have time for ourselves on a regular basis, whether it's for self-care or writing a few pages of our novel, we need to plan.
It also helps to have support from family members and friends. Maybe your partner could take on a few tasks or a trusted friend or family member could watch the kids for a moment so you can work. If no one is available and you have the money, perhaps you can hire someone to help out and take care of some chores so you have more time to focus on your projects. Sometimes it's helpful to block off the same time every day- even if you occasionally don't have any artistic inspiration, you can spend the time brainstorming.
If you have room in your home, it is helpful to create some space for yourself- a comfortable place where you can work without interruptions for an hour or so. You can organize your area to make it easier to jump into your projects, instead of having to move your things from room to room and set up each time you're ready to get started. This will save a bit of time when you're ready to work.
Life can get complicated and it's nearly impossible to do everything. With a bit of planning and carving out time for ourselves each day, it is possible to at least make headway on some of the projects we're passionate about.
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