10 ms·

I'm getting older now and am finding this harder and harder to do as "real-life" things pile up. I was crushing it early in the pandemic, but it's really dried

by Mizza 5y ago

I'm getting older now and am finding this harder and harder to do as "real-life" things pile up. I was crushing it early in the pandemic, but it's really dried up in the past few months. The big thing is having a job. Most of my life I've been freelance or happily under-employed, but working a FTJ seems just fundamentally incompatible with creative work for me. After 8 hours of staring at the screen, I just don't have anything left in the tank for side projects, writing, music, all of the creative things that make me feel like I'm using my time on earth wisely. Would be interested in any advice from anybody who has overcome this.

grecy 5y ago
Adjust your spending and lifestyle so you can live with less money, which in turn means you can go to work less, and have more time for you.
- hungryforcodes 5y ago
  I agree with you, but the bigger problem is jobs are always offered in this binary 5 days a week or nothing structure. Its hard to find a job that offers say 20-30 hours a week.
  - grecy 5y ago
    Oh, absolutely. But everything worth doing in life is difficult, and if you really want something badly enough you will find the motivation and dedication to find a way. I also think you'll find it's more common than you think. If your current boss won't let you step down to 4 days a week (or even some kind of flex 4.5), then it's time to fire your boss and find one that fits better with your life goals. The best time to start on that process (polish up your resume, interviewing, putting out expressions of interest, etc.) is now. It may very well take years. It will be worth it.
d0mine 5y ago
Moving side projects earlier in the morning (perhaps as the first thing) worked for me. I can do ordinary [shallow] work late in the evening when I have no energy left for more creative endeavors.
babaganoosh89 5y ago
One strategy is to wake up earlier and do your side projects before work.
- taneq 5y ago
  Accomplish more by sleeping less!
xyzzy123 5y ago
With small kids it gets interesting, weekends aren't "time off" anymore in the sense of being able to follow adult pursuits, constant distraction and day begins at 6am and goes to evening or more if there are wake ups. The work day at my full time job is the only real thinking time I have right now. I try a bit harder now to make that meaningful and interesting. If I can't find a way to convince myself that the time I'm spending at work is part of a "life well lived" then I need to look for a new job.
- cbushko 5y ago
  I found that this starts to change as the kids get older. Mine are 8 and 11. They become a lot more independent and it frees up 15 minutes here and there.
- bitwize 5y ago
  Now that you have kids you need to make money in order to keep them fed, clothed, and (if you live in the USA) ensure they donpt go to a shithouse school. Find meaningful work if you can get it. But prioritize money first. At least until the revolution comes and a living can be provided for all.
  - bumbada 5y ago
    >At least until the revolution comes and a living can be provided for all. At least until revolution comes and you become a slave that must provide for all or else.
    - TeMPOraL 5y ago
      Or you get killed. Tech workers aren't exactly liked by the people calling for revolutions these days.
  - Aeolun 5y ago
    Or forget about money and move out of the US.
joestrong 5y ago
I'm currently doing both of these with success: - Limit to 1 creative thing per month (music one month, programming the next, etc.) I find it helps to get deep into 1 thing for a while rather than skimming the surface on multiple - Waking up early, and doing the creative things first (less interruptions in the morning, you have your energy)
codemac 5y ago
Then do them first? The truly prolific creative people I know do that work at non-traditional times if they have a full time job. Practicing music late at night, painting at 6am, etc. Even scheduling their creative work during low points in their work day. I am also not good at this, so take this advice as an observation rather than a personal experience.
- maroonblazer 5y ago
  This is an exercise in "managing your energy, not your time". For me the first several hours of the day are my most productive/creative, so I carve out at least a couple of those for my personal projects. Lately that's meant getting up early (5:30-ish) and prioritizing my own work ahead of my employer's.
- curmudgeon22 5y ago
  I have found this to be effective, the problem for me is getting into the routine. When it worked, I got up earlier in the morning and was able to devote 1-2 hours to personal projects, 3-4 mornings per week. At some point, the habit gets interrupted and it's been tough for me to get back into it.
- Aeolun 5y ago
  I’d have to wake up at 4am to do this. Young children and time to build stuff are just fundamentally incompatible. So we just have to make do with the 7.5 hours at work.
  - roamingdave 5y ago
    I have 3 kids and get up at 4:30am every day to work on my own stuff. From 7am they're awake so I spend time getting them ready for school, etc. Then I go to work. Over the years I've found that getting this going consistently is the key. Even if you only get one good hour in each morning it builds up to quite a lot of satisfying work very quickly. It did take a few years to become consistent though.
    - 5y ago
christophergs 5y ago
Switch to part-time work. Obviously not everyone can, and the quality of roles tends to be lower. But if you care a lot about your creativity and other projects this option is powerful. https://4dayweek.io/ https://4dayweek.io/
curmudgeon22 5y ago
Hey does have some suggestions further down in the article. I like the bit that precedes the suggestions: > Most people’s time is eaten up by things like school and work. Obviously if you attend one of these, you should stop. But what else can you do?

by Mizza 5y ago

grecy 5y ago

Adjust your spending and lifestyle so you can live with less money, which in turn means you can go to work less, and have more time for you.

hungryforcodes 5y ago
I agree with you, but the bigger problem is jobs are always offered in this binary 5 days a week or nothing structure. Its hard to find a job that offers say 20-30 hours a week.
- grecy 5y ago
  Oh, absolutely. But everything worth doing in life is difficult, and if you really want something badly enough you will find the motivation and dedication to find a way. I also think you'll find it's more common than you think. If your current boss won't let you step down to 4 days a week (or even some kind of flex 4.5), then it's time to fire your boss and find one that fits better with your life goals. The best time to start on that process (polish up your resume, interviewing, putting out expressions of interest, etc.) is now. It may very well take years. It will be worth it.

d0mine 5y ago

Moving side projects earlier in the morning (perhaps as the first thing) worked for me. I can do ordinary [shallow] work late in the evening when I have no energy left for more creative endeavors.

babaganoosh89 5y ago

One strategy is to wake up earlier and do your side projects before work.

taneq 5y ago
Accomplish more by sleeping less!

xyzzy123 5y ago

With small kids it gets interesting, weekends aren't "time off" anymore in the sense of being able to follow adult pursuits, constant distraction and day begins at 6am and goes to evening or more if there are wake ups. The work day at my full time job is the only real thinking time I have right now. I try a bit harder now to make that meaningful and interesting. If I can't find a way to convince myself that the time I'm spending at work is part of a "life well lived" then I need to look for a new job.

cbushko 5y ago
I found that this starts to change as the kids get older. Mine are 8 and 11. They become a lot more independent and it frees up 15 minutes here and there.
bitwize 5y ago
Now that you have kids you need to make money in order to keep them fed, clothed, and (if you live in the USA) ensure they donpt go to a shithouse school. Find meaningful work if you can get it. But prioritize money first. At least until the revolution comes and a living can be provided for all.
- bumbada 5y ago
  >At least until the revolution comes and a living can be provided for all. At least until revolution comes and you become a slave that must provide for all or else.
  - TeMPOraL 5y ago
    Or you get killed. Tech workers aren't exactly liked by the people calling for revolutions these days.
- Aeolun 5y ago
  Or forget about money and move out of the US.

joestrong 5y ago

I'm currently doing both of these with success: - Limit to 1 creative thing per month (music one month, programming the next, etc.) I find it helps to get deep into 1 thing for a while rather than skimming the surface on multiple - Waking up early, and doing the creative things first (less interruptions in the morning, you have your energy)

codemac 5y ago

Then do them first? The truly prolific creative people I know do that work at non-traditional times if they have a full time job. Practicing music late at night, painting at 6am, etc. Even scheduling their creative work during low points in their work day. I am also not good at this, so take this advice as an observation rather than a personal experience.

maroonblazer 5y ago
This is an exercise in "managing your energy, not your time". For me the first several hours of the day are my most productive/creative, so I carve out at least a couple of those for my personal projects. Lately that's meant getting up early (5:30-ish) and prioritizing my own work ahead of my employer's.
curmudgeon22 5y ago
I have found this to be effective, the problem for me is getting into the routine. When it worked, I got up earlier in the morning and was able to devote 1-2 hours to personal projects, 3-4 mornings per week. At some point, the habit gets interrupted and it's been tough for me to get back into it.
Aeolun 5y ago
I’d have to wake up at 4am to do this. Young children and time to build stuff are just fundamentally incompatible. So we just have to make do with the 7.5 hours at work.
- roamingdave 5y ago
  I have 3 kids and get up at 4:30am every day to work on my own stuff. From 7am they're awake so I spend time getting them ready for school, etc. Then I go to work. Over the years I've found that getting this going consistently is the key. Even if you only get one good hour in each morning it builds up to quite a lot of satisfying work very quickly. It did take a few years to become consistent though.
  - 5y ago

christophergs 5y ago

Switch to part-time work. Obviously not everyone can, and the quality of roles tends to be lower. But if you care a lot about your creativity and other projects this option is powerful. https://4dayweek.io/ https://4dayweek.io/

curmudgeon22 5y ago

Hey does have some suggestions further down in the article. I like the bit that precedes the suggestions: > Most people’s time is eaten up by things like school and work. Obviously if you attend one of these, you should stop. But what else can you do?