I seem to see-saw between
I had hoped to settle in to more of a routine, but other than church on Sunday, quilt group on Wednesday and a day to visit my mother scheduled in around the weather forecast, everything else gets done if and when I feel like it. My daily schedule is up early, walk with my spouse, shower, then decide what to do next. If there is freelance work in my queue, I prefer to do it in the morning when my brain is at peak efficiency.
So, how do you find and make time for the things that you want to accomplish?
I did manage to accomplish some quilting this weekend:
Those blue and cream things I showed in a previous post were for the Bushel Basket block by Bonnie Hunter, from July/August Quiltmaker Addicted to scraps column. I am glad I went with bright and deep pinks. The picture in the article used both dusty blues and dusty pinks (that's so 1980's!) which I do have in the stash, but I didn't think I would enjoy using them in this block. I did sneak in a few deep "liver-colored" reds for variety. That's another old color I need to use up.
Well, enough blogging for today, I'd better get some stitching done or the afternoon will get away from me.
- enjoyment of the fact that I don't need to drive myself so hard in retirement
- frustration that I am not accomplishing more in a day
I had hoped to settle in to more of a routine, but other than church on Sunday, quilt group on Wednesday and a day to visit my mother scheduled in around the weather forecast, everything else gets done if and when I feel like it. My daily schedule is up early, walk with my spouse, shower, then decide what to do next. If there is freelance work in my queue, I prefer to do it in the morning when my brain is at peak efficiency.
So, how do you find and make time for the things that you want to accomplish?
- Do you use a weekly and daily routine like Flylady?
- Do you use your craft time as a reward for doing all the "stuff you gotta do today?"
- Are you a relentless list maker and do you love crossing things off the list?
I did manage to accomplish some quilting this weekend:
Those blue and cream things I showed in a previous post were for the Bushel Basket block by Bonnie Hunter, from July/August Quiltmaker Addicted to scraps column. I am glad I went with bright and deep pinks. The picture in the article used both dusty blues and dusty pinks (that's so 1980's!) which I do have in the stash, but I didn't think I would enjoy using them in this block. I did sneak in a few deep "liver-colored" reds for variety. That's another old color I need to use up.
My experience was that it took several years to find the rhythm of how to structure my day after I retired. It was difficult, and I even needed a little bit of therapy to help me thru that stage! Eventually I gave myself permission to not be "productive" for a set period of time, then promised myself I would buckle down. Lo and behold, my natural tendency to be organized and useful bubbled back up to the surface and no buckling was really required. I have a sneaking suspicion that your natural productiveness will also never, ever go away :)
ReplyDeleteI've been retired nearly three years. I've continued much of what I did before that. I just don't have to go to work! Some pre-retirement commitments have concluded (chamber of commerce board, regional library system board). Other civic/service involvement continues (AAUW, P.E.O., Rotary, woman's club, quilt guild, church). These activities provide a social outlet and a schedule for my days. I still don't have time for everything I'd like to do, whether it's reading, quilting, traveling, or going to museums/concerts/lectures. (My husband's increasingly limited mobility is a factor.)
ReplyDeleteI can definitely understand your dilemma. I, too, am in a season...after 12 years of homeschooling my son, he has graduated and is now in college. He's still here, but I am no longer responsible for how he spends his time. Growing into a new skin is interesting...and maddening. I, too, have gazillions of things I want/need to be doing and have had a time creating a new routine. For me, creating a bullet journal has been most helpful. I jot down what HAS to be done, but also what I WANT to get done. Not so very different from a workday, except that I am learning that I can reassess throughout the day, and that sometimes what I want to do needs to take priority if I am to be effective in the other areas. Make sense? I am learning that it's okay to allow myself some grace and that there will still probably never be enough time for everything.
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