I need more hours in the day.
Really, I probably just need to start managing my time more wisely (and spending less of it on the internet cough*like right now*cough). There are just so many things I want to do and when I combine those things with the stuff I need to do… it’s just too much. It certainly doesn’t help that I have too many hobbies, and too many of those hobbies have turned into businesses, on top of my day job-business, on top of parenting & homemaking… YEESH.
Take these blocks.
I bought this set of small, 3/4″ square blocks from Michael’s about fifty million years ago. I had always planned to paint them but never got around to it, and over the years a few of them were used for other purposes (namely propped up other things I was actually painting) and were wrecked or lost, so I out of the original 24 or 25 had 21 left. The other week I finally got around to doing it; I figured I could do them in different pastel colours and they’d make a cute addition to Gwen’s Easter basket (I’m planning ahead, and yes, I know these are quite small for a child Gwen’s age but she’s not really on of those kids that puts everything in their mouth so I’m not worried). I ended up painting six colours on each block, in different combinations of green, yellow, blue, pink, peach, purple, turquoise and gold. I’m really happy with how they turned out (except I think the purple is too dark? I might go back and paint a lighter shade over it), and now I want to paint MORE blocks. I keep thinking up different colour schemes & combinations, patterns and designs I want to do. But what would I do with all these blocks? OH I KNOW, SELL THEM OF COURSE. Because I’m not already busy enough with making & selling banners and boots.
And it’s not just painting the blocks- it’s hard to find beeswax polish in Canada so what am I gonna do to finish these blocks? MAKE MY OWN OF COURSE. Go buy a big block of beeswax and grate it up and melt it with some jojoba oil. Then I’m like… if I had a miter saw I could buy lengths of wood and cut my own blocks! I should get a saw! And I have plans for some new boot designs for Gwen- a pair with bunny faces for Easter (I’ve already bought a bunch of round black studs for eyes and spray painted some triangular studs pink for the noses) and some with fringe that I might make out of this really cool dark brown suede with copper stars, so I need to make new patterns. I want to start embroidering patches again, like the ones I made Taylor for our anniversary last year. I have all the pieces for a felt woodland garland made and just need to sew them to the ribbon. The gold leather crown I made for Gwen is peeling apart (I used no-sew Heat Bond to make it and that stuff is the worrrrrrst) so I need to fix it and come up with a better technique for making them. I want to paint a large canvas to hang on the wall above the dressers in our bedroom. I want to repaint my desk (so sick of the yellow) and our whole office.
Here’s what’s on my to-do list for today:
– make, pack & ship two banners
– do the dishes & laundry
– bake a coffee cake
– order Taylor’s anniversary gift
– clean the bathroom
– sweep all the dead leaves of the stairs
– finish putting together the last three drawers for Sym’s new dresser
– start taking apart Sym’s old bookcase & Gwen’s old dresser
– pack & ship one pair of boots
– punch holes & set snaps in two pairs of boots and sew at least one vamp
– paint pictures with Gwen, it’s her new favourite thing
– go outside
– clean everything
– do everything
– make everything
I am really trying to come up with a “time budget” so I’m able to fit everything in between school drop offs & pick up and nap time and trips to the park. I already don’t work on banners on the weekends (unless it’s a dire situation) and I try to do the bulk of my banner-making on Tuesdays, when I don’t have to go to the school. I usually sew just in the evenings while I watch tv. I’ve really been trying to meal plan & grocery shop more efficiently, rather than 5:30 rolling around every day and being like “oh cool there’s no food in the house.” I definitely need to do better with fitting in housework, I would rather do almost anything else so it tends to fall by the wayside most days (where it belongs imo). idk idk, how do you fit everything into the day?
You are already most of the way there: MAKE LISTS! Every day. Write the list on paper and put it on your computer desk where you’ll see it every few minutes. Cross stuff off as you do it. Really. This works. Oh—and when you forget the day’s list and have some stuff done already, make the list with that stuff on anyway, and cross it off immediately—the sense of accomplishment is awesome! And the internet time is NOT time wasted: it’s an important part of your life, plus it helps you focus because it is relaxing time. At least, I think so.
hahaha well SOME of my internet time is definitely a waste