Let Me Explain: My Work/Life Balance, My Blog, And How My Brain Works

I’ve been running a blog for 17 years now, and for many of these years, I’ve been running a blog about my DIY tasks. My DIY journey began once we have been residing in our tiny little condo positioned by Baylor College in Waco. Throughout these first years within the condominium, I additionally had an inside adorning enterprise and was adorning for shoppers. That was my full-time job, and like most individuals who’ve full-time jobs, my very own DIY residence tasks have been completed on evenings and weekends. After which Matt’s well being began to say no to the purpose that I may now not hold scheduled conferences with shoppers, or I might get a frantic cellphone name from him in the course of an set up in a consumer’s residence, and I must rush residence to assist Matt. Life was irritating then.

So I finally stopped working for shoppers altogether, and I turned my DIY tasks and my weblog into my full-time work. It was handy because it allowed me to remain residence, and I cherished the work I used to be doing, however that was my life. My complete life was engaged on tasks and serving to Matt. That was it. I had no life exterior of our condominium.

I don’t know what number of of you have been round again then, however in some unspecified time in the future, I took on a serious DIY undertaking for a pair who wished to rent me as a decorator, however I defined to them that I used to be now not doing that. So as a substitute, they mainly handed over their home to me (a home that they weren’t residing in) and so they let me DIY the heck out of their home. I utterly DIYed their bedroom, bathroom, family room, and kitchen. I cherished that undertaking a lot. It was enjoyable and difficult, and since it was a non-standard adorning undertaking, with them residing out of city, I had free reign in that home. I may work after I may (when Matt’s well being allowed it). I may come and go as I happy. I may work so long as I wanted to, even into the evenings. And I may drop every little thing and go residence at any second if Matt wanted me. It was sort of a dream job attending to DIY alone schedule with free reign and with different folks’s cash.

However once more, that was my life. All my life consisted of was engaged on that home and taking good care of Matt. And since the toll of Matt’s MS on his well being was all new to us again then, it was irritating. However as a result of his MS wasn’t as superior as it’s now, I may spend lengthy stretches of time away from him. So I used to be working about 10-13 hours a day. Like I stated, it was my life.

I bear in mind throughout that point, I challenged myself at one level. I had a “one undertaking a day” purpose. In different phrases, my problem to myself was to start out and end one undertaking each single day. Throughout that point, I cranked out the tasks. And so they weren’t small tasks, both. For instance, I constructed a factory cart-style coffee table in at some point, begin to end. After which the following day, I might do an identical undertaking begin to end. And the following day. And the following day. So throughout that point, as I used to be cranking out the tasks, I used to be additionally cranking out the weblog posts, with one model new DIY undertaking after one other.

That was actually a good time for my weblog. All of these tasks in such fast succession actually helped to construct my weblog, construct my viewers, and get my weblog “on the map”, just about talking. However it was completely exhausting. And I can’t even stress this sufficient. It was my life. I had nothing exterior of labor and Matt. Residing that approach was very isolating.

After we purchased this home, I continued with that schedule for a very long time. And it turned much more difficult and extra isolating as Matt’s well being and his skill to do issues on his personal continued to say no. As an alternative of engaged on another person’s residence for lengthy stretches every day, I used to be engaged on our home for 10-13 hours a day. And once more, that’s all my life consisted of. So as soon as once more, I used to be in a position to get tasks completed comparatively shortly. I did a full down-to-the studs demolition and rebuild of a kitchen nearly utterly on my own in 5 months, together with transferring/widening doorways, eradicating a wall, and so on. And I adopted that with an entire down-to-the-studs-and-floor-joists demolition and rework a WC nearly utterly on my own in about the identical period of time, together with transferring and widening a doorway and doing the entire drywall and concrete board myself. It was my life. Matt and work. Work and Matt. That’s it.

Right now, issues are very totally different. There’s no approach I may have gone on like that endlessly. The weblog was doing nice. Constructing my viewers was nice. The revenue was nice. However the work was exhausting, and the isolation was sucking the very life out of me.

In 2020, the world modified. The isolation turned much more pronounced, and I decided to make a change. I noticed that there needed to be extra to life than work. My life wanted an outward focus. I wanted to seek out my folks. My neighborhood. So I made it my dedication to do precisely that.

And in the previous couple of years, my life has modified drastically. My focus has gone from work and Matt to Matt and different folks. That’s to not say that my work isn’t necessary. I nonetheless spend quite a lot of time working. However issues take longer now, and I don’t crank out these completed tasks as quick as I used to. Nowadays, if I’m in the course of a undertaking, coated head to toe in mud and caulk, and I’ve a purpose of what I need to end by the top of the day in order that I can weblog about it the following day, however then a good friend calls and invitations me to dinner, I’m going to decide on dinner with a good friend over ending the undertaking simply in order that I can have progress to share in a weblog submit the following day. Time with a good friend comes first. Sharing progress on my undertaking can wait one other day.

And that’s my life today. My tasks don’t get completed as quick, and I’m okay with that. Rather than working 10-13 hours a day, I attempt to get a couple of hours in every day and prioritize time with folks. I’ve buddies I really like dearly. I’ve my household who I prioritize two days every week. And as at all times, Matt is my high precedence every day. I nonetheless attempt to get as a lot completed on tasks as quick as I can, however I’m only one individual, and I can solely accomplish that a lot. And other people will at all times take precedence in my life over tasks.

However again to 2020. Throughout that 12 months, like tens of millions of different folks, I actually struggled. Not solely did I battle to get issues completed, however I struggled with my weblog as nicely. I struggled to indicate up on the weblog often. After which I bought an e mail that basically shook me out of my self-focused mindset. I don’t bear in mind what it stated precisely, however the individual mainly stated, “Kristi, the place are you? We’d like you proper now! We’d like your weblog posts proper now!”

And in that second, I noticed that sure, folks want a bit of little bit of day trip of their hectic lives and the craziness of this world to give attention to one thing enjoyable and perhaps even frivolous. In order that’s what I’ve decided to offer — only a few minutes in your lives every day the place you possibly can put the craziness of the world and your hectic lives out of your thoughts for a bit and examine a enjoyable undertaking or a enjoyable (or loopy) thought I’ve. I take a look at my weblog today as not solely academic (I hope) when have a undertaking to share, but additionally as a couple of minutes of leisure in your lives the place you will get a glimpse into my mind the place I at all times have a few thousand concepts swirling round in there.

So I gained’t at all times have tasks to share. I gained’t at all times have progress to share. Feeling like I can solely ever share progress on my present undertaking is stress I refuse to tackle anymore. I can’t reside that approach. However on these days after I actually don’t have any progress to share, I at all times have concepts or ideas I can share a few future undertaking or another random thought I’ve swirling round in my mind. That’s what I can present, together with a couple of moments out of your day to get your thoughts off of your hectic life and be entertained by the tasks or ideas or plans of a loopy DIYer in little Waco, Texas.

However for these of you who solely need to see progress on my present undertaking, right here it’s. I bought the island high painted white and able to marble…

And I bought a lot of the drawer slides hooked up to the drawer bins…