Finding time to be successful.....do you?

Upon returning to work, my life has returned to being as busy as ever!  It is so easy to let work, family responsibilities, washing, ironing, shopping, cleaning your house, going to the gym (the list could go on.....) to take over your life and take you away from finding time to create art and build up your business.  So the question is how do you create that balance?

I often think, though while I do lead a very busy life, I often find myself putting my passion for art at the bottom of the list of things to do.  Its so easy to let the other things take over.  This could be because you feel they are more important, or those around you feel that way.  The pressures of having to fit everything in can become overwhelming and when you are exhausted at the end of the day it can become very difficult to concentrate when you just want to sleep!  For many artists, there is also the fear that I talked about in my last blog.  Sometimes when you are working on a piece you find yourself making excuses that the other things are more important.  It's like you are almost afraid of getting it wrong.  I often feel this way when I get short sporadic chunks of time to draw.  When I have plenty of time and I really get into a piece this fear subsides.  

So the real question is, how do you overcome all of this?  

Now I wish there was an easy answer to this.  After giving it some careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that it's about making the time.  Planning seems to be only way to achieve this. Now there are some things in life that you can't change such as going to work to earn money, spending time with your family, whatever is important to you but the time you have left after these things needs to be divided so you can actually spend time doing the thing you love or building up a business for yourself.  If you are building up your own business, not only is productivity key to your success it's also important to plan in weekly time to do marketing, keeping on top of your finances, blogging..... The only way I have found it possible is to set aside a particular time each night just for me with assigned tasks on each day.  For example Fridays I set aside time to write my blog and then on Tuesdays I edit it and post it.  Sundays I spend time doing my finances and producing art work. Mondays I set aside for ironing, cooking and other chores.......

The key, as with many things in life, is balance.  Whatever it is in life, if you want something you have to work for it and go out and get it! In this case, you have to make the time and not put the thing you love at the bottom of the list but right up there with the other important things in your life such as your family.  It's not easy but planning and support from your friends and family can help make it a bit easier.

How do you create time for your art?  

Do you find yourself making excuses and putting it off? 

How do you plan your time?