Yesterday I went out for lunch with my friend Scott. We had an interesting discussion about film, feminism, child-rearing and, toward the end of our designated hour, time.
Our talk about the duties of family flowed naturally into a discussion of time - or rather, its quantity. Having just returned to full-time work, I'm now once again cognizant of the immense amount of time we spend just paying the bills - eight or nine hours a day, plus a couple of hours commuting. This leaves little enough time to spend with Sylvia and complete everyday chores and errands. As we considered the problem, I began to list a few of my hobbies and interests. And like the proverbial light bulb flicking off over my head, I realized why I'm often so scattered and stressed: I just don't have enough time to do everything I want to do.
Here are the pursuits that I'm accomplishing more or less successfully:
Having fun with Sylvia
Seeing my parents and my brother on a reasonably regular basis
Visiting friends at least a couple of times a month
Working two jobs
Routine errands and chores (This was going way better when I was unemployed!)
Writing this blog
Reading at least 100 books a year
Seeing at least 100 movies a year
Catching up on the best of old television shows and new
Staying current on new developments in science, philosophy, politics and literature
At first blush this seems like a pretty modest list, especially since Sylvia and I aren't raising children. And yet these priorities alone are almost sufficient to fill my days and weekends. But on top of all that, I have a wide range of other interests:
Honing my photography skills
Learning graphic design
Writing, shooting and editing short films
Playing computer roleplaying games and strategy games
Building a comprehensive digital library of all Woods/Etsell family photos
Travelling
Writing short stories, screenplays, poems
Playing board games
Playing tabletop role playing games (I'd play Villains & Vigilantes and Dungeons & Dragons twice a month each if I could)
Designing games (I've written or co-written three or four games)
"There aren't enough hours in the day." It's not just a saying!
Our talk about the duties of family flowed naturally into a discussion of time - or rather, its quantity. Having just returned to full-time work, I'm now once again cognizant of the immense amount of time we spend just paying the bills - eight or nine hours a day, plus a couple of hours commuting. This leaves little enough time to spend with Sylvia and complete everyday chores and errands. As we considered the problem, I began to list a few of my hobbies and interests. And like the proverbial light bulb flicking off over my head, I realized why I'm often so scattered and stressed: I just don't have enough time to do everything I want to do.
Here are the pursuits that I'm accomplishing more or less successfully:
Having fun with Sylvia
Seeing my parents and my brother on a reasonably regular basis
Visiting friends at least a couple of times a month
Working two jobs
Routine errands and chores (This was going way better when I was unemployed!)
Writing this blog
Reading at least 100 books a year
Seeing at least 100 movies a year
Catching up on the best of old television shows and new
Staying current on new developments in science, philosophy, politics and literature
At first blush this seems like a pretty modest list, especially since Sylvia and I aren't raising children. And yet these priorities alone are almost sufficient to fill my days and weekends. But on top of all that, I have a wide range of other interests:
Honing my photography skills
Learning graphic design
Writing, shooting and editing short films
Playing computer roleplaying games and strategy games
Building a comprehensive digital library of all Woods/Etsell family photos
Travelling
Writing short stories, screenplays, poems
Playing board games
Playing tabletop role playing games (I'd play Villains & Vigilantes and Dungeons & Dragons twice a month each if I could)
Designing games (I've written or co-written three or four games)
"There aren't enough hours in the day." It's not just a saying!
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