Got the Time?

I've recently been reading Booklife by Jeff Vandermeer, and I must say it's a great read so far! It's all about balancing one's public (often digital) life with their more private, creative life. Though some of the technical bits are a little outdated, the advice is as good as ever.

As I read through a section all about choosing one's level of involvement on the internet, I felt a familiar welling of panic.

I have a confession: I've felt jealous and bemused by young people's ability to juggle endless social media accounts while still having the time to write a story a week, and go out and explore the world. I have trouble just balancing writing with cleaning and keeping the husbs fed.

Then it hit me: most younger folks don't have to cook. They don't have to meal plan, grocery shop, or do the dishes after. For a lot of students, it's eat and run - toss the paper plates and get to class or where-have-you. So of course they have the time!

Me? I balance the housekeeping (cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc.) with keeping myself healthy (exercise, research on healthy eating, meditation, yoga, etc.) with writing (outlining, penning, editing, etc.) with managing our finances (watching the budget, tracking credit cards and investments, researching, etc.) with my hobbies (knitting, video projects, reading, etc.) with spending time with my husband and so on..

No wonder I don't feel like I have enough time for social media! I have a long list of priorities and obligations that supersede internet involvement in importance.

By understanding what I'm trading my social media presence for, my anxiety fades. Suddenly, I don't mind that I can’t post daily to my blog, twitter, tumblr, and vlog. Instead, I get a healthy body and mind, healthy relationships, a spotless house and a killer artisan bread recipe.