There are so many times in your life when you feel like you just can’t make time for yourself. I’ve found that with time, schedules get busier and busier and you have to make time for the things that you care about.
Your best life is not when you are solely fulfilled by your work – rather when you feel happy in your home life, work-life, and personal life holistically. I work a full-time job in technology and while I enjoy the challenges, I definitely miss being creative professionally. Enter… Simply Sabrina. This blog, i.e. my second full-time job, is that outlet that helps satisfy that need.
Storytelling, writing, photography, videography, editing are all elements of the creative process that I love. I’ve taught myself every hardware and software that I’ve ever used, and I’m constantly learning and iterating on my process to be able to produce better and more compelling content.
If being a wife, puppy mom, and holding two full-time jobs wasn’t enough – I’ve also started dancing again after a few years. It’s amazing how hours will fly by when you are conceptualizing formations, transitions, and mixing music. I was captain of my dance team in college and even though it’s been a few years since I’ve done this – I always feel like I’m picking up where I left off.
The process seems so natural to me! I love being creative mentally and now, physically. Running from work to the studio is tough, but I always keep my laptop, wireless headphones, as the headphones help me listen to tracks while I’m walking to and from the office. Hey, every second counts!
When time is scarce, here is what I do to make time for creativity:
SET UNMOVABLE SCHEDULES
I always check my calendar before I make any commitments. I offer 30 minutes of “travel time” between every appointment and don’t allow myself to schedule over my creative time.
I have a set agenda for each day of the week for my blog i.e. Mondays are for editing, Tuesdays are for responding to collaboration emails, Wednesdays I write my weekly newsletter – etc. You have to plan!
DEFINE SUCCESS DIFFERENTLY
It’s easy to feel productive when you knocked out that presentation or filed that report, but when you are measuring success in your creative process, you have to set different milestones.
I read Lauren Graham’s book, she spent an entire chapter on this. The secret is basically the Pomodoro method (that I talked about here), a kitchen timer, and knowing that success equals keeping your appointment.
If your goal was to brainstorm ideas for your next YouTube video and you do that for thirty minutes without distraction, that’s a win – even if no ideas come from it.
PRIORITIZE YOUR TO-DO
Work comes first and that’s okay. What pays the bills has to be your priority, but understanding that your family time, exercise time, healthy living time, and creative time don’t have to take a back seat is the next step.
There are so many ways that I express myself creatively and I’m so happy to have this outlet and my readers to share in my creative process. Sometimes it seems like creativity takes a backseat to other tasks throughout the day, and I strive to maintain a balance using the tips above.
