I told you guys I would be back for some insights into my week of time logging (stats here). And I have some things to say! So, today’s Five for Friday post will be all about those insights.
1) I have a very full life
There is a lot going on in my life! I have a ton of hobbies (blogging, podcasting, writing fiction, reading, coloring, etc.) to keep me busy. I’m never bored, I’m creatively inspired on a daily basis, and my biggest problem is trying to fit all of my hobbies into one day. And what a gift that is! This is a life I’ve very intentionally built because when you’re single and childless, you don’t have other things to take up space. There is a lot of white space in my life, and I have filled it up beautifully.
2) I have a lot of free time
Last week, I averaged 9.4 hours of free time, Monday-Thursday. That’s a lot of time to myself! But it’s fragmented, too. There’s a little bit in the morning, but I also have to fit in my morning routine, making breakfast, etc. There’s some time throughout the workday when I take breaks, but I tend to use it for chores or tending to the cats. The bulk of my free time happens in the evening, but that’s also when my energy is the lowest. All I want to do is zone out and watch TV or scroll through my phone. What I should do is end the workday with a nice walk outside, which would probably help boost my energy, but instead, I usually flop on the couch and waste time on my phone.
It feels like I have all this free time to spend time investing in my hobbies, but my mental capacity is so low by that point that it’s hard to summon the energy to do anything that requires creative or social output. I don’t necessarily want to spend more time in front of a computer after spending all day in front of one, so blogging falls off the priority list.
3) Life upkeep takes up more time than I realized
I spent almost 12 hours just on life upkeep—chores, life admin, errands, driving, etc. That’s an average of two hours every day! No wonder I feel too exhausted at the end of the day to do much more than talk to my mom on the phone or watch TV/color. There is so much life upkeep that happens, especially as a single person who has to do it all on her own. I need to remember that when I feel bad about not spending more time commenting on blogs or working on my novel or marketing my podcast.
4) I can’t do every hobby every day
I need to pick and choose which hobbies I engage in on a daily basis. I cannot have a day where I spend an hour reading, an hour reading and commenting on blogs, an hour working on a blog post, and an hour doing things like working on my novel or watching TV while coloring. In my ideal world, I could spend time on each of these hobbies every day, but I honestly don’t have the energy to do so. Reading and commenting on blogs is a leisure activity, yes, but there’s output involved in terms of leaving thoughtful comments and engaging with the blogging community. Writing blog posts is also a leisure activity, but it’s a creative endeavor that sometimes requires a lot of output from me, especially because I care so deeply about writing well and getting my point across clearly.
The one hobby I want to do every day, no matter what, is reading. This is a much easier hobby for me to fit into my day because it’s something that doesn’t require a ton of mental energy. I can flop down on the couch at the end of the workday and read to my heart’s content. From there, it’s all about picking and choosing which hobbies receive my limited energy reserves that day. I try to publish a blog post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so I prioritize writing those posts on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. That means I’ll probably comment on fewer blogs or watch less TV on those days.
What this exercise has taught me is the difference between input and output hobbies. Input hobbies like reading, watching TV, or coloring don’t require anything from me. They are about consuming or absorbing what’s in front of me. Output hobbies like blogging, commenting on blogs, and working on the podcast require me to be more active, usually in a creative way. It takes a lot more energy to work on output hobbies, as one might expect! What I’m going to do with this information has yet to be figured out, but just understanding the concept of input/output hobbies has been helpful.
5) Less optimizing, more grace
At the end of the day, what this time logging practice taught me is that a lot is going on in my life. No wonder I feel like I don’t have enough time to do everything I want to do! Sometimes I think because I don’t have a busy household to manage, kids to chauffeur around, or a hectic career with lots of work travel commitments, I should have the time. After all, those of you with kids and work travel and busy households seem to be a lot more on top of blogging and chores than I am.
And yet.
I know we all have our different priorities. I know I have limited energy reserves. I know I’m also dealing with a chronic autoimmune condition that isn’t fully under control yet. I know I’m an introvert who needs a ton of alone time and has never been the kind of person who thrives on having a busy schedule. Sometimes, I want to take a nap in the middle of a Saturday afternoon rather than working on podcast marketing. Sometimes, I want to finish that adorable romance on a Thursday evening rather than commenting on blog posts. And sometimes, I want to sit in front of the TV and color for an hour because I need to zone out.
And that is absolutely fine because I’m not interested in optimizing my life so it’s the most productive it can be. Would I like to make some changes? Absolutely. But now I can see that I have a lot of things that are competing for my time, and it’s okay that I can’t get it all done. I’m doing the best I can—and I’d imagine the same can be said for you!
What’s a hobby you wish you could devote more time to?
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