You Can Never Get Back Your Time
By: Carsen Greene
Tags: Creative Process, Time Management

You Can Never Get Back Your Time

The staggering amount of dumb shit I have wasted my time on is almost unfathomable to me now. If you told me that in another life I would sit and binge watch shows that had 5 seasons or leave my house way too early and sit in an empty parking lot for 30 minutes, I would not believe you.

You can waste your own time, other people can waste your time, work can drain your time, friends and family want your time, and mindlessly walking into a room three times can be a big time-buster! Our time is our currency, it’s the only thing we have to freely give that is of any consequence to ourselves and to people who we care about. Once you spend your time, it’s gone! An account that cannot be replenished.

Last night, I walked into a room three times before I said to myself, “Okay, pendeja why did you come in here?” It was small, I wanted to bring my speaker into another room. That wouldn’t have happened if I had walked into the room with intention the first time.

It started with a morning routine.

When I was married, we had a routine, as any married couple does. Our routine oftentimes included each other. This year I found myself lost without the support of my old routine. It was excruciatingly difficult to establish a new one. Read that back: it took months. It’s still not where I want it to be. But I have worked hard to establish my boundaries with myself!

When I first wake up, I scroll through my notifications but I don’t open them until I’ve brushed my teeth. It’s something so simple, something that can so easily be overlooked as a conscious effort to establish the mood for the day: I am in control of how I spend my time. No one else! Not the people on my tiny screen, not obligations I’ve made promises to, not nothing! I am in control.

I started recording myself doing yoga, at first to marker where I was lacking and how I could improve. I started sharing them on Instagram Stories every morning. The response I got was wild! So many happy, wonderful folx responded to my videos. It was so nice, both rewarding myself by taking my practice seriously enough to actually post about it and I was holding myself accountable for those posts, man! It became a routine. And I liked it!

Lately, I get up and go to a coffee shop to work. I used to do that almost every day, pre-pandemic. It feels amazing to sit and work in a public space after have gotten some fresh air, and flaunt cute outfits. I am loving my routine. I want to take better care of my skin and make that I priority, but for right now, making it to the coffee shop is enough for me.

And it continues with a healthy balance of free time.

I have always liked to work. I got my first job when I was 17. I loved it! I would come home with the funniest stories. I learned so much about myself and I learned how to interact with “co-workers” — a previously foreign concept to me (shoutout Rob). As I’ve worked my way through to a more creative field, it’s harder to know when I should be working and when I should be resting.

When I was working on a big campaign or a big presentation, I would wake up at 5:30–6 am to double-check my work. I brought my computer into my bed that early in the morning! What I failed to realize that even the fact that I set the intention the night before to spend my time that way, didn’t make it okay. I was giving too much of my me time away.

It hasn’t been easy to establish boundaries around different areas of my life, but it was totally necessary for the sake of my wellbeing and for my creativity. I’ve been able to spend time on full thoughts. I’m able to explore different projects that pique my interest that I want to invest my time in. I’m doing what I always said I wanted to —

whatever I want.

Be peaceful. Take your time back, babes. xo carsen