i read a post on zen habits this morning about finding your natural work rhythms. while the focus was more on freelancers and work-at-homers giving themselves permission to break out of the 9-5 mindset and find a flow that suits them, it got me thinking about the way that i have organized my own life in order to have enough time to do the things i want to do, without slacking off on the things that i must do.
i love blogging. i love writing — songwriting, poems, memoir. i love performing live and recording what i’ve written, i love playing the guitar. these are not the things that i do at my dayjob, which is a pretty standard 9-5 corporate gig. it’s taken me years to find a balance that works for me and, while it requires a certain amount of discipline on my part, the rewards are tremendous.
every day, i get out of bed at 4am, usually before the clock goes off. i’m naturally a morning person — maybe not quite THAT early, but if i want to take advantage of the creative flow that is always more available to me in the morning, that’s the right time to start my day, as it gives me plenty of personal time to work on my projects. granted, that’s not the best time for recording (and surely not for live gigs!), which i tend to do more on weekends, but for blogging and writing it’s perfect, and i’ve got several solid hours all to myself before leaving for the office.
after work, i use whatever energy is left to just hang out. dinner with a friend, sprawling on the couch with a great book (i recently discovered the french writer annie ernaux and “splinter factory” by poet jeffrey mcdaniel and i am simply drinking in their brilliance, between copies of The New Yorker), swapping ideas with my best friend and musical collaborator who is a total night owl.
now, if i hadn’t done my early-morning writing practice (that’s what natalie goldberg calls it), i wouldn’t feel free to just slob out at night. not saying i wouldn’t DO it — i’m not all that disciplined! — but i would feel guilty doing it, would have that annoying virgo headvoice chanting out a nonstop list of shoulds. (if you’ve got one of those voices, you know what an unforgiving taskmaster it can be, and i don’t think it’s exclusive to virgos.) but i’m really not all that sharp at night, and not just because i get up early. it’s the way i’ve always been, ready for anything at the start of the day and not up for much at all near the end of it.
understanding my natural creative/life rhythm, and organizing my days around those rhythms, is the difference between living the life that i want to live and living the life that i am obligated to live. some sacrifice? sure. but when people who know me well ask, as they often do, “how do you find the time to get all of this stuff done?” there’s only one answer to give them.
i don’t find the time. i MAKE it.
i’d love to hear from readers who are honoring their rhythms and their creative life by giving it a home among their hours. this early morning thing isn’t for everybody — many people are nightbirds, whose juices start flowing only when the sun goes down.
how do you make it work for you?
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{ 6 comments }
Luckily I only work part-time and start at 5:00PM so I have the best of both worlds. Stay up quite late, sleep in till 10 or 11AM and spend hours on arising writing, smoking cigars and drinking coffee. I find that I am stressed by the time I get home form work at 9:30ish and by the time I have dinner, usually 11PM… I just want to wallow in my own time. If I were working full time I could only write on the weekends, I am not an early morning person.
All my life I have read books voraciously, people always say I wish I could read more, I don’t have the time. Much like you… I always responded ‘there are people who like to read and there are people who love to read, the latter always make the time… who cares if the bloody house is dusty.
I HATE mornings, but have to get up early due to a teen daughter who needs an explosion to wake up. I’m cranky, she’s cranky….and it’s not good for being creative. The afternoon is my best alone time for writing so I try and do a couple of hours then, in between pub runs and everyday errands. Late night is my most creative time, but it also means little sleep. I also don’t have a normal job- I can do what I need to do on my own time unless the pub demands otherwise (like holidys, parties, etc.) Last year, when I worked full time (plus) in real estate I was miserable because I STILL had all the things I needed to do and my writing suffered miserably and so did my sleep. I’ve come to the conclusion that schedules just don’t work well with me. I get more accomplished when I tell myself when to get things done.
I’m a nightowl. Can’t stand the mornings. I have to be at work by 9ish and I’m always sleeping until 8:30. My best work happens late at night. 4 a.m. means nothing to me. lol
don’t fight your rhythms! you can always change your morning pages into evening pages and make them work for you that way. it’s a great practice, i did the artist’s way several years ago and got a lot out of it. i especially liked making “artist dates” with myself.
i’m almost always up before the clock, though i do keep one turned on. and YES coffee is the very first thing on my agenda!
you can learn how to play guitar. i just picked it up a few years ago, and while i’m not a very good player (yet, there’s always hope) it’s a huge amount of fun. never too late to start, i took my first lesson in my forties.
Jackie,
You always continue to impress me. You’re very passionate with everything that you do. I’m still trying to understand my life rhythm and it’s been getting to me as of late. Thanks for always putting things into perspective for me and keeping it real. Stay driven!
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