Creating Sustainable Work/Life Balance: Time Blocking
The first step to trying to scale your maker-business is developing a sustainable work/life balance. This will help you avoid burnout, understand your capabilities and keep the creative juices flowing. A sustainable work/life balance looks different for everyone, but in this blog series I’m going to go over some things I’ve learned after running a handmade business for three years, and Missoula Makers for one year.
Time Blocking Work
When Montana Clay Creations first became my full time job, I worked all day, every day. I would begin working on earrings immediately when I woke up, and continue working until I could barely hold my eyes open in the evening. This led to massive burnout- I was tired of social media, I wasn’t feeling creative, and I couldn’t bring myself to do the “computer work” that is super necessary.
This spring I started using time blocking as a way to stay on top of all aspects of my business, get everything done I need to, and still have time to spend with friends and family. Time blocking isn’t new or revolutionary, but if you haven’t tried using it yet, it could change how you think about working for yourself.
What does time blocking look like for me? I wake up with my cats around 6:00 am and begin computer work. I make my coffee and sit down at the dining room table to work on email, creating graphics, writing blogs, or any other work that needs to be done at the computer. I find that my most productive and energetic hours are the morning, which is why I focus on the business tasks that aren’t my favorite. I’ve found that using this actually gave me a new love for “computer work” because I have so much energy in the morning and love the feeling of productivity.
I do this from 6:00 am and until I’m finished with my tasks (more on planners/to do lists later). I usually take a break for a meeting or to spend time with my partner (who also works from home).
My next time block is the creative side- usually starting in early afternoon I begin creating earrings. The creative side of my work is much less structured- if I have specific projects to work on, I’ll work on that before I’m allowed to start making what I want to, but otherwise I just sit down and go. I like to have a pot of tea on the stove when I’m creating because it creates natural breaks where I look up from my desk, walk around a bit, and think about other things.
This usually lasts until around 4:00 or 5:00, and then I am finished for the day. I’ll make plans to go out and get a beer, or go to an event to get out of the house and do something totally unrelated to business. This time blocking schedule allows me to work 6-8 hours a day in a way that is maximizing my productivity. I don’t create specific days off, and instead listen to my body to know when I need a break. Some mornings I wake up and know I need to go back to sleep, and don’t feel any guilt for not getting my morning tasks done. Other days I’m tired by the afternoon, and decide to just relax the rest of the day. While I seldom take any full days off, I usually take about 4-5 half-days off and I find this feels good for me.
Sometimes my priorities and tasks don’t quite allow for this strict of time blocking- and when that happens I try to keep my schedule but substitute tasks. If I need to create a ton of inventory leading up to a market, I’ll limit myself to an hour of computer work and spend time creating in the morning and the afternoon, but I still take breaks in midday and try hard to get enough work done that I’m not working in the evening. I find that creating the boundary of not working in the evening (especially when my partner isn’t working in the evening) keeps me feeling fresh and creative day after day.
Now, if you’re not a full-time business owner and aren’t orienting your entire day around it, here are a couple takeaways that you can apply to your day.
Identify when you feel most productive during the day and block out an hour for the less fun tasks. Maybe this is early in the morning, during your lunch break, or in the evening. Either way, create a routine where you’re addressing the less fun tasks every day and feeling on top of it.
Think about your “life” priorities and list them out. Mine are: 1) Time with my partner and friends, 2) spending time in my community, 3) being there for important family events. Maybe you need to make time everyday for the gym, or want to spend time with your kids. List out these priorities and assign times for them, and then find where your free time is.
Find ways to take breaks while you’re working on business tasks. One of my favorites is to make tea and stop every 30 minutes to fill up my cup. One that my therapist suggested was to take breaks every 30 minutes to do a step in my skin care routine (I would if I had one, ha). The important thing is to take breaks, walk around, stretch it out, and think about something else.
If any part of this blog has been helpful for you, I’d love to hear about it! Send me an email at mslamakers@gmail.com or a DM on instagram @mslamakers
