Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Time, Is Not On My Side

Ever seen that commercial for the new movie, IN TIME? It's a movie where instead of using money, people use time.  You know that saying time is money.

Lately I've been thinking about time a lot. My time is very limited. And, well, I don't have time for anything.

The rundown of my days is:
7:00 - 8:00 AM. - Wake up, drink coffee, blog, facebook, keep up with the outside world.
8:00 - 9:00 AM - Shower, makeup, get dressed.
9:00 - 10:00 AM - Drive to work.
10:00 - 6:00 PM - Work.
6:00 - 7:30ish - Drive home or go to the hospital to see husband.

From 7:30 on, my day varies. Sometimes I come home, play with the dog, clean the house, eat dinner, do laundry, watch 1 hour of TV, and go to sleep. At other times, I hang out in the hospital until like 10:00, then leave to go home. It takes me anywhere between 1.5 and 2 hours to get home, and then play with the dog and go to bed. Do you see things like reading or writing anywhere on that list? No, because that only comes into play on the weekends and even then other things come up that take my time. Lately, it takes me two months just to read one book. And I haven't written in ages.

Something has to give. For me, the biggest time waster is the 2+ hour drive to and from work. That time could be used to do something much more important then killing my car (which is in need of repairs). I think it's time I looked for a new job. Although I like working in insurance, and it's a step up from waitressing, the money isn't great and the drive is insane. Or, if I couldn't find something else, maybe I could have my boss cut one of my days. It's time I could use to write more and try to sell more books. After all, it's not my dream to work insurance for the rest of my life, it's my dream to write (and have that be my job) for the rest of my life.

So, how do you handle your time?

4 comments:

  1. I do not envy your 2 hour commute. I did that for six months and it drove me insane getting stuck in traffic.

    Until you find a job closer, you might ask your boss for flex-time where you can work four 10-hour days and get off on the fifth day. This will give you a permanent 3 day weekend.

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  2. I get really on edge if I don't have time to write. It's like I'm a drug addict. It affects my mood - I get snappy with other people and depressed. It feels like a piece of me is missing. I can't stand it. So I definitely relate. What did I miss with the husband being in the hospital? Is he awake and interacting the whole time that you are there? I'm the kind of person who can write anywhere and love to develop a new routine so if he were dozing, I would sneak some time in there. But that commute would KILL me. You poor thing. I know we have to drive where the work is, but that's a long time to be in the car twice a day and that can wear you down as well even if you have time to write! You rock as a dog owner - no time for yourself, but you're making time to play with the dog. That's one lucky dog!!!

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  3. That's a very tight schedule. It sound tough. Do you have a lunch hour, to squeeze in some writing?

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  4. I so feel your pain. And I agree with Maria, check to see if you can work longer four day weeks. My DH has a sucky commute, and that's what he does. Or else shift your hours so you're not driving in traffic. That's what I did when I was commuting... I worked 6:30 - 3:30 and never hit rush hour. Good luck!!~

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