This is mostly a bookish/ writing blog, but every now and then I’ll do something a little different, just a post reflecting on something that’s been on my mind.
This time I want to talk about how we don’t all have the same 24 hours and how much difference a little extra time can make.
For context, I have a long commute, it’s about an 1 hour and half, sometimes more or less depending on traffic. I normally do this three days a week but we are temporarily working from home five days a week during an office relocation.
I’m not getting into the whole wfh debate here, I have come to terms with the way the working world is changing back, it is what it is.
This just a reflection on the crazy difference getting roughly 9 hours a week back in travel time is making to me, and how a little extra sleep has been revolutionary.
Extra time is more precious than I ever realised. It’s made re-think how far I’d be willing to commute in future roles. I think work-life balance isn’t just a nice to have, it’s a necessity when you work full time.
Suddenly, everything I had been viewing as a personal failing for not keeping on top of: like cleaning, keeping in touch with friends and family, exercising regularly and even this blog or other hobbies, has become 1000 times easier with a little extra time and a little extra sleep.
Also, the mental difference of not constantly watching the clock and being aware of the countdown? It’s done wonders for my daily stress.
I have taken care of things me and my partner haven’t had the brain space to sort in the year since we moved. I have space for imagination and ideas. It feels like my brain has come back online.
All this to say, we’re taught to see burnout and the consequences of busy ‘modern’ lives as personal failings. Where we have to do mindfulness, deep breathing, take supplements blah blah blah. But there’s nothing I could have done, compared to the simple difference a few extra hours a week has made. Of an evening that consists of more than 1 hour’s free time after dinner etc are taken care of, and that’s without kids to consider!
It’s given me a lot to think about what I want out of life as I tread further into my thirties.
It’s made me realise I owe commuting me a lot more grace and patience, plus I need to figure out how not to feel that constant panic about time running out when things return to normal.
I have only just moved out to my own place last year, so perhaps I should have expected a learning curve on how to find a balance when there’s a whole house and another person to consider for the first time.
Maybe this all boils down to me needing to be kinder to myself in general, and commuting as much as I do is just making the symptoms of that more obvious.
Anyway, if you’re a regular blog reader you may have even felt the difference in the blogs you’ve been getting, as this bad boy is scheduled wayyy ahead of time for the first time in forever and not done in a massive rush.
I’m taking advantage of this time, and thinking about how I can take better care of myself when things return to normal.
If you read this whole thing, thanks! We’ll return to the regular schedule of bookish nonsense next I promise.
Antonia Bernardin 