The first obvious insight was just how much time I spend working in random cafés. I certainly find the hustle and bustle of a good café to help with my productivity and focus. And I suppose a good cup of tea also helps. In the beginning of the lockdowns I felt this personally and found it difficult to work from the same location every single day. While routine is good I spent a good six months essentially in the same chair since it was simply what I had in my apartment.
I also noticed the value of unstructured solo time, in both terms of actual production time and making space for incubation time. With everything closed I often used this time for longer walks through the city. I was surprised to see just how much a three hour walk through the city would then allow me to be significantly more productive in my work more than making up the time difference.
More significantly though was noticing how the lockdowns made me reflect on the specific type of creative work I was doing. Specifically evaluations the type of work and the area I was focusing on.
I’ve certainly had time to reflect on lifestyle and work specifics and have made some changes and plan on making more.
The most significant has been that I decided to stop waiting for all of my ducks to get into a row and to move onto a small sailboat. I’ve ditched my apartment and have been living on a Catalina 34 for about a month now.
Day job wise I’ve decided to put more effort into my research and writing which I’ve neglected for far too long. This means being intentional with my time and changing some priorities. Part of this means that I will need to put myself more forward and take care of my own creative needs before others. And taking care of myself first has always been a challenge.
Much the same with my own practice time off the job. There is a need for more practice time which I have been avoiding for the past several years. Continually telling myself that there will be time for me to focus on perfecting my creative craft “after” my children are grown and I have time was always the most common excuse. But no. The only way I’m going to improve is to practice and to put in the time even if that means I need to shut myself away from my children for a few hours a day. And after being locked in a small space with them during the lockdowns I’m also a bit more willing to hide myself away for a bit.
