I recently shared this with a colleague, so here it is for your information to use, change or ignore.
I’m often asked how I find time to ‘be creative’. We can all fall into the trap of thinking that our time is not within our control. I recognise that there are things we must do, but I wonder if we reflected on all the time that we do have under our control, what this might reveal.
Since completing a work related contract in mid 2023 I decided to take a break… not a holiday, more a sabbatical. It’s been filled with my art practice and classes, volunteering, gardening, reading, research for my next book, catching up with colleagues, weekends away hiking… the things I dream of doing most of the time.
As I travel towards the end of 2023 I’m reflecting on what was accomplished this year, did I achieve the goals I set out?
I’m also reminded that the way I spend my time reflects what I value and defines who I am.
So how do I spend my time?
I put together a 24 hour clock to help me map out this. The key was deciding the prompts relevant for me, to help me proportion the time I allocate now and then determining the edits I’ll make to reflect further what I want more or less of.
My prompts are as described in the image, but I’ve not included the time I allocate.You might like to reconsider the prompts or be more specific e.g. replenish might be more focused on replenishing the soul +/or the body.
It’s not rocket science, but feel free to use this in your own reflections.
- Replenish includes food purchase, meal prep, eating, clean up, eating with friends/family
- Maintenance includes admin, emails, managing bills
- Move includes walks, exercise
- Sleep includes rest, sleep preparation, sleep
- Give back includes caring, volunteering
- Making stuff includes many options (writing, art practise, gardening, reading/study, research , future projects, side projects, thinking/musing)