Time...or lack of

Time...something I always seem to be running short on.

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It's a funny thing though as I don't really want more of it - as let's face it if I had more, I'd just have more to loose.

I have (like most people) so many things to do on a daily basis and the very best intentions to do them but each and every day something happens where I get caught up and manage to NOT do at least some of the things I had planned.

I use a diary. I write lists. I set alarms. Nothing seems to really work though - I'm not sure why. I want to blame being a mother...but I can't as it's really always been the case. Various 'things' always creep up, they always have.

In my 'pre-mum' days it was meetings, phone calls, deadline reports, colleague conversations, red lights, out of milk, missed the tram, more meetings, more phone calls etc etc.

In 'post-mum/working from home' days its; 'I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, I'm bored, muuuum toilet!, phone calls, cleaning, washing, I'm hungry, better clean the sewing room'.  Not to mention the other things like, getting caught up procrastinating cleaning the fabric cupboard or rediscovering the stash of ribbon in that drawer.

I always seem to run out of TIME and yet I know if I had more nothing would change.

Even writing this blog - I should have done it days ago...but other things popped up and I ran low on time and so I'm doing it now...late!

I'm not really sure though the more i type and the more I think about it if time is really the problem...maybe I need to get better at follow through? it won't always work as 'things' always pop up, but perhaps it's worth a try...

I'll leave it there and move onto the next thing on my list of planned tasks :-)

Virtual Support

The Internet; love it or loath it, it's here to stay.

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Without Internet:

•  I'd go days without talking to another like minded adult interested in my crafts (as let's face it all hubby really does is pull that 'mmm it's lovely face')
• I'd pull my hair out not being able to fix the creaking door without utube
• I'd waste so much time without knowing about 'household essential tips (seriously my fitted sheets never looked so good!)
• I'd get lost on the way to my friends houses without google maps
• I'd not have any funny cats to laugh at as my own just seem to lie around which isn't really amusing
• I'd throw out half the things in my cupboard without recipe.com to rush to before dinner time!
• I'd probably have more money in my bank account as internet shopping would be impossible :-)
• I'd never know what was happening with my favourite TV shows...and not be able to watch them as most are US only based
• and so many more!

Let's face it...life has changed - things are easier to find/have/get/discover, but also harder to hide/gloss over/deny. It's not always a good thing but we'd never be without it. I can barely go a day without having to check an email, refresh my newsfeed, catch up on my favourite blogs or check in with distant or busy friends. I love the internet - love love love!  I am careful though. I limit my time when my kids are about as I don't want them to grow up thinking mum always has a phone in her hand or a screen in front of her; or worse to think they rank under my 'online time'. I don't put pictures of my kids faces on my business page - personal choice but I don't like doing it. I don't accept friend requests on facebook from random people or those I haven't 'known' for a while - and even then I may only have them as 'limited' friends.  I use encrypted passwords and I don't believe that I've won $100000000000000 dollars from some lottery in Nigeria I didn't buy a ticket for. So yeah...I'm careful.

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What I do love about the internet is convenience - I love that if I want to buy fabric at 2am, I can. I love that I need advice on why my 5 year old hates dinner time, I have access to 100's of journals, 1000's of fellow mum's advice and suggestions. I love that I can 'meet up' with people who share my passions and interests and talk to them; openly and honestly and I love that the internet can be a place of wonderful virtual support 24/7.

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It does have it's drawbacks (like a lot of things). I hate that sometimes the internet allows people to hide behind comments or react in a way that they wouldn't if you met them in person - I've come across this more than I would like too in the online handmade business world :- ( However I am happy to say that 99% of the fellow handmaidens I meet and interact with are wonderful...the other 1% don't generally stick around too long. 

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One of the biggest things that I love about the internet is that it has allowed me to turn what I love to do into a business. Without the internet I wouldn't have been able to learn as easily and at the touch of a button that I need to:  be registered, get an ABN, apply for Wholesale rates, network, improve my SEO, start a website, engage with customers etc. Without the internet I wouldn't have had the support to do it either - I might have given up or spent many more hours trying to get there. I love that this virtual world has actually opened up my 'real one' - I have met so many wonderful people that I first met online - I also have a wonderful group of online friends who truly are that even if I've never met them in person. I am grateful to be living in this era where I can access all facets of history, technology and support by switching on a device in my sewing room and connecting to the world.

The thing is though virtual world is wonderful and it's only young - I wonder what another 5, 10, 20 years will bring? I'm excited to see what the future holds.

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