Author Journey (November 11, 2024)
Well, that was not the week that I was expecting! I’d like to think that things have peaked, but I know they haven’t. The near future is going to leave me with some big changes to adjust to. Maybe a new adventure will be just what I need!
Author Journey (November 11, 2024)
Favourite Moment!
This week was almost entirely one long Real-Life Family Event, however, while it might look like that from the outside, it was actually a whole mess of smaller ones that left me stopping and starting all week long. Whenever it looked like things were about to settle and I could get on with something, another one started. It was exhausting and frustrating. It’s also brought a couple of things to the forefront. Basically, it looks like I’m going to be taking a bit of a career break to help get everything back under control. We haven’t decided on the length of the break as of yet, but it will be considerably longer than a vacation.
It’s going to be incredibly trying, but in a way, I’m kind of excited to have the time to focus on looking after my family and building some routines back into our daily lives. We’ve been so busy for so long that we’ve outsourced so many parts of our lives that we could end up recovering most of my salary just by reclaiming those. There will be lots to do, but my mind is already buzzing with the possibilities. For too long, I’ve been feeling like things are slipping out of control and now, I get the chance to fix that. The family’s health and well-being are going back to where it belongs at the top of our priorities. As I said, it’s a new adventure.
The Week That Was…
So, the week was a complete disaster as far as productivity went. It was also the busy week in the day job which just added to the pressure. I did manage to get all my work done, but it took all my time and energy away from anything fun. The problem is the fun stuff is the thing that kept me going all this time. Without the fun stuff, I think I would have lost my mind during the pandemic as I worked from 22:00 to 04:00 every day and then looked after the kids the rest of the time. This week reminded me how important it is for my well-being to be able to unwind.
I started the week by continuing season two of Komi Can’t Communicate and had this been a normal week, I would have finished it and started on another series. However, I only managed to watch four episodes all week and since I’m watching this series on the treadmill, I only managed to run four times this week. The rest of the week left me with no time or energy to do any more. I need to fix that for this week. And running has been a big part of my routine, not to mention the health benefits.
I also only managed to read one volume of Solo Leveling this week. I did pick up the first three volumes of Delicious in Dungeon from my library, but I didn’t have the time to dive into them. I definitely need to fit more in this week or my buffer will be completely gone.
Of course, I also didn’t get any writing done…
Anime!
Manga!
- Parallel Paradise (Volume 10) – The Witches Must Feast!
- Does It Count If You Lose Your Virginity to an Android? (Volume 1) – Do Androids Dream of Electric Sex?
- My [Repair] Skill Became a Versatile Cheat, So I Think I’ll Open a Weapon Shop (Volume 5) – Twin Fight!
- Dandadan (Volume 2) – Now My Balls Are Gone!
- Solo Leveling (Volume 5) – May I Kill All of These Magic Beasts?
Goals
| Tasks | Goal | Completed |
|---|---|---|
| Anime Watched | 3 Episodes | 4 Episodes |
| Manga Read | 3 Books | 1 Book |
| Posts Scheduled | 7 Posts | 3 Posts |
| Chapters Written | 2 | Nothing |
| Chapters Edited | 2 | N/A |
| Artwork | Cover | N/A |
Aspirations for the week!
So, it was my least productive week in ages and that in itself has added to my current stress levels, which are already heightened thanks to the Real-Life Family Event situation. Taking a break from work to be able to focus on looking after the family is the right thing to do and given my skill sets, I should be able to organise this house. As I said, I’ve already come up with countless ideas for things to do and improve upon. It’s going to be a lot of work getting everything set up, but once it’s done, the routine should bed in quickly. Then, without the added pressure of the day job, I should start to find time for myself on a more regular basis.
Given everything that is going on, I’ve come up with a plan for the blog that should buy me some time. Of course, that will require a bit of work to set up too, but it’ll be worth it. Anyhow, my life is steeped in chaos, but that should help drive innovation. I’m certainly not ready to give up on any of the things that bring me joy. I’m planning to come out of this stronger and in a position to truly follow my dreams, rather than just dreaming about them. Onward to adventure! Thanks for reading!
Your comment about almost recovering your salary in outsourced services hit home. I still don’t know how we managed it (times were different, to be fair — things were easier when I started my family), but my wife and I were able to get through with her working her business from home and watching the kids while I worked, while I did most of the cooking and laundry.
But now? I see others in my family who are having kids and working two jobs — which barely covers daycare. Prices are doing nothing but go up (and I don’t want to think about what’s going to happen when we evict the labor force from our country and jack up tariffs — which consumers always have to pay).
That’s a long way of saying it sounds like you’re making a great choice. It’s just not sustainable to work ourselves into the ground. I hope it works out well!
Yeah, we’ve become too reliant on things like Uber Eats or takeaway which costs a lot, but we just don’t have the time to do anything else with both our jobs. Then, we ended up hiring a cleaner and a dog walker when I broke my knee. All of that will come back to us, offsetting the loss in income. I’ll also have more time to manage things more effectively. I’m sure we’ve got a bunch of subscriptions that the kids don’t use and can be cancelled. Hopefully, it all works out in the end, plus I can try to focus on writing and making that earn some money a little further down the road.
Of course, all of that is an extra as my main focus is going to be helping my youngest son who is struggling with emotional control related to ADHD. Having a more stable routine with healthy life choices is going to help. The reduced stress for me will no doubt be felt by the kids too. We’re in a good position because of my wife’s job so it’s an option for us. We’re still ironing out the details, but this seems like it’s going to happen one way or another.
That said, things are going to get harder all over with the incoming changes. I remember my salary basically covered the kids daycare before they started school. So, I was working just so that they could go to daycare. The world is all topsy-turvy at the moment.
I wish you nothing but success with this transition. Finding balance is hard and sometimes making some out-of-the-box decisions help. May you and your family weather the storm and end up healthier and happier on the other side.
Thanks. I hope it is the change that everyone needs. I only ended up doing the job I do so that I could support my wife as she went through law school… which she finished many years ago… somehow, I’m still doing it, so I’m excited for a change. Plus, if I can improve the health and happiness of the family, then it’s all worth it.