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the grind

The Case for Doing More

January 28, 2011 by sue campbell

I know.  You’re busy.  I’m busy.  I’m not disputing that.  But I propose that the things you’re busy doing are not necessarily those things that fulfill you.

I know the feeling of wanting to collapse at the end of a long day.  But I can tell you from experience that attending only to those tasks that scream your name — groceries, cooking, laundry, work — leaves you exhausted and unfulfilled.

So, what if you decide to do a little bit more?  Something you WANT to do, but feel like you don’t have time for?

In the spring 2009, I was working on a software implementation project.  It was the most stressful thing I’ve ever done. The hours were long, the stakes were high.  I had a VERY young child at home.  There were many days I came home, did as little as I could before falling asleep.  But I made damn sure I planted my 800-square-foot vegetable garden.  No one would have faulted me for not planting anything that year.  But it wasn’t something I was willing to sacrifice.

No matter how tough things got, I could come home, hug my daughter and walk out to the garden and pick a cucumber or a head of lettuce.  That meant the world to me.

Fast foward to today.  I’m still working full time.  I also knit, write freelance articles, blog, and volunteer at Nora’s school.  I’m not telling you this as a “look how great I am”  kind of thing.  Sometimes it feels a bit selfish.  But I know it’s necessary.  If all I did was work, cook, clean and parent, I know I would slip away from myself.  I’d get depressed and start looking for a way out of the grind.  I might even do something stupid like blame my husband for my misery.

If you’re feeling this way, I urge you to start doing more*.  More of the things you love.  Take a yoga class, raise some chickens, go wine tasting, volunteer. You may find you end up with more energy, not less.

*And by all means, do less of the things you don’t want to do, if you can swing it!

Filed Under: Time Management Tagged With: gardening, hobbies, knitting, the grind, time for yourself, volunteering

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What kind of blog is this?

This is a blog for PARENTS. True, the writer, Sue Campbell, writes books for kids. But this blog is for grown-ups. It has lots of swearing and would be super boring for kids. Except for the swearing.

The PODCAST is for KIDS and PARENTS. In fact, my eleven-year-old daughter is my co-host.

If your kids like Sue's books, send them over to suecampbellbooks.com where there's some kid-friendly content. EVEN BETTER, join the mailing list. You get stuff for grown-ups and printable stuff for kids. And sometimes there will be super ill-advised giveaways or coloring contests for free books.

MORE ABOUT SUE: She makes an ACTUAL LIVING from writing words and marketing books and lives with her husband, two daughters, six chickens and one messy house rabbit in Portland, Oregon. And yes, Portland IS that weird. She really couldn't be any luckier.

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