The way you spend your time can be a clue as to your priorities. Make time for what's most important.
I've been struggling lately. It seems as though I never have enough time. I don't have enough time for my paid writing, and I certainly don't have time for unpaid writing — and it's the unpaid writing that's most interesting to me right now. I haven't had a lot of time to promote my book
(on sale, for a limited time: $2.99 for Kindle).
I've managed to make sure that I spend time with my son and husband, but I haven't been to the pool in weeks, and I feel the lack of physical exercise. This morning, as I once again put making money ahead of a nice, energizing swim, I realize that I've let my priorities slip.
At least, the way I'm spending my time doesn't reflect what I consider my true priorities.
Shouldn't I be past the point at which everything is about money? I'm a content companion, dammit!
For the most part, I am past that point. But I'm also still in transition, trying to figure out what I want my life to look like, and how I want to manage my time and money for the next phase. It's a little trying because I'm dropping some clients, and adding new clients, and I'm ghostwriting two books and trying to fulfill Indiegogo perks, and dealing with personal problems.
It's all quite a lot for me, and I feel overwhelmed most days. And some of the things I think are important are getting short shrift. Which, of course, begs the question: How important are those things, anyway?
Clearly, the money is important. But right now it's not the most important thing, and I've been blessed to be in a position in which I don't need to work myself to the bone over a few bucks. So why am I still spinning my wheels?
Really, it's more about moving on from the writing that doesn't interest me anymore and getting involved with the writing that does interest me. But, as nice as it would be to focus on the writing that interests me the most, the reality is that, since I've done this all backward, and freelancing was never my side gig, I have to find a balance. There still has to be a balance between writing that makes me money right now and writing that might make me money later.
Plus, some of the writing that makes me money right now is interesting and I love it. So that, at least, makes sense.
But what about the other things I want to do? Getting back to the pool? Serving in community organizations? Signing up for music lessons again (what should I learn to do next)? Those are the things I need to make time for. My husband says to just do them, and it will force me to manage my time better for work. He's probably right, but there's this mental barrier there that tells me that I don't have enough time to do that stuff.
What I need to do is make it a priority. Is it important for me to exercise? To serve my community? Is it more important than writing another couple of blog posts? That's what I need to decide. Then I need to make time for the things that I deem most important.
It sounds easy, but I think it will actually be quite difficult.
