Keeping motivated

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Question for you guys, how do you keep your spirits up when you can't woodwork like you want to?

My career has dominated my life, and hobbies, family and sleep are a few of the casualties. Luckily, I don't think any permanent damage has been done, but I have not been able to spend much time enjoying life. I know deferring gratification is supposed to pay off, but you get to a point where it seems a little overwhelming. I used to be able to go to the woodshop and release a bit of pent up creative angst on a stack of lumber, but it has been more than a year since I've been able to seriously build something.

I doubt I'm the first person to run into this, and I could sure use some advice.

[Bill ThompsonNM]

I don't think deferring gratification ever pays off. I have always worked long hours, but I've come to the conclusion that work will swallow you alive if you let it. You'll suddenly wake up one morning and wonder where the last 40 years have disappeared and where your life has gone. If you need/want to do woodworking, figure out how to do it now. You and your family will be better for it.
I think sometimes that is one of the allures of turning wood. A few hours on the weekend and you can produce a number of pens or bowls. If I spend that time building some furniture, I'll still be a long way from completion.

Begin little, some Christmas gifts perhaps, that gives htm a certain priority. Maybe something around the house needs replacing, an odd door, or perhaps a new cabinet to fit the new tv. Things with purpose in your and your loved ones lives become easy to find time for. You feel your not being selfish taking time for yourself ( though you SHOULD) but get into the projects and work and relax and the payoff is in triplicate. Your time at work will be worth three times as much when you've purged your mind and relaxed without work on your mind.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Steve,

You really do need the time away from work to regenerate!

As suggested by Bill, every aspect of your life will be better as a result!

[Stephen Cherry]

My career has dominated my life,

The first question is whether or not ths is what you want. If career brings you and your family indoor living, then it's not all for nothing. In my area, the number of relaxed jobs that provide enough income to pay the bills are few and far between. Everybody I know either lives off of somebody else, or works their bottocks off. So you are not alone, and I know how you feel.

As for time- you almost always have 30 minutes. Why not take that time, breath in and out, and have a little fun. Lots of things can be done with short periods of activity.

[Jon Shank]

It's tough. I guess I can't give you all that much advise but if it helps at all your certainly not alone. I travel for work almost every week, gone from Monday morning and back on Friday night most weeks. After I get home I have to worry about getting laundry done to repack the bag for next week, book the next weeks travel, maybe do some homework on the problem I'm going to troubleshoot. We don't have any kids, just dogs and cats so at least I don't have to feel guilty about shorting kids out of their father but my wife certainly gets the short end of the stick an awful lot and I feel bad for the animals as well. With all of that it's hard to get up the energy to go out in the shop even when I manage to have the time to. I do have to agree with Bill that woodturning is a nice way to go out for even a half hour and do something fun. And since I work from mostly raw logs the hogging process of just getting the bark off and getting to round has a real cathartic hoorah quality to it. Sometimes I just go out and clean up a little or sharpen a blade just to let the shop know I haven't forgotten about it :D. Sometimes I manage to accomplish a little something, usually not much.
On the upside I make a pretty decent living and we can afford things we couldn't before, like hopefully having an actual retirement one day. I find it helps to remind yourself of the blessings you have, a good solid job when alot of people are out of work and a wife who was always and remains a better woman that I deserve. You might try pushing back on work a little to get some more balance, it's worth trying but it's hard to get much from work now-a-days. Good luck brother, keep up the good fight.

Jon

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Thanks for the input guys, just hearing your experiences and perspectives got me to thinking about something other than work today for a little bit. I suppose we all gain more responsibility as we progress in our careers, I wonder though, is there some trigger that makes us decide enough is enough? The thought of backing off a little, and letting work take a back seat is a bit scary.

I don't mean to complain, I am truly blessed to have a wonderful family, and an ability to support them well.

I like the lathe idea, there is a nice one sitting out there that hasn't been used in way too long...

[Don Morris]

Many of us have been where you are at one point or another. You're not alone in those thoughts. I was told that when it isn't going so great, there's the story of people throwing their shoes in the center of a circle. The shoes represented their troubles. You could then take out whatever shoe you saw that you liked. It always seemed that everyone took out their own shoe. I've treated wounded warriors at the Naval Hospital when I was on active duty and have always thought I may have work issues or whatever, but I'll take whatever my troubles are...they aren't that bad. I'm still on the green side of the grass and I'm grateful. Stop, think, maybe you can work a little birdhouse into the yard/designer wastebasket into the guest bathroom, etc. Lots of projects don't take that much time and can be satisfying. Remember, You're still on the green side of the grass...

[paul cottingham]

I have some health issues that preclude me from doing much in the shop. Drives me nuts. So I go down, and literally stand there, sometimes just handling my tools. Sounds odd, but is surprisingly regenerative. Sharpening also makes me feel like I have done something, and it is quite meditative.
I have also made a lot of shop appliances lately as well!

[Steve Peterson]

I know how you feel. I go through long stretches at work where I don't have time for much else. I get a bit depressed when the maintenance tasks start piling up and all my free time is used up for things like mowing or fixing a sink.

If I build a large item, like a TV cabinet, then it may take 2-3 months. I feel great when it is done, but all the other tasks would have started piling up.

Most of the time, I just try to go out to the shop to build a few pens or other small items. That way you can actually finish something in about an hour. I also get a lot of enjoyment from improving the fixtures in my shop. Things like building a dust hood around the miter saw. It may take 2 weeks to finish in 30 minute intervals, but it will be enjoyed for many years.

Steve

[Larry Whitlow]

I have some health issues that preclude me from doing much in the shop. Drives me nuts. So I go down, and literally stand there, sometimes just handling my tools. Sounds odd, but is surprisingly regenerative. Sharpening also makes me feel like I have done something, and it is quite meditative.
I have also made a lot of shop appliances lately as well!

Paul, I've been doing pretty much the same thing for the past week and a half. Had a to have a skin graft on my ear. Not major but the doc said to stay out of the shop because of the dust. Even with the ceiling filter and cyclone, I thought it better to play things safe. More to the point, regardless of my thoughts, LMOL was there when the doc said no to any woodworking so that is pretty much how it is going to be. Should be back in the saddle in another week.

[paul cottingham]

Paul, I've been doing pretty much the same thing for the past week and a half. Had a to have a skin graft on my ear. Not major but the doc said to stay out of the shop because of the dust. Even with the ceiling filter and cyclone, I thought it better to play things safe. More to the point, regardless of my thoughts, LMOL was there when the doc said no to any woodworking so that is pretty much how it is going to be. Should be back in the saddle in another week.
I am having c5 c6 neck surgery tomorrow, (!) so hopefully i will be able to get back at it within a month or two. Right now, any motion hurts like a bugger.

[Don Morris]

As you can see Steve, lots of us in the same boat you are. Just have to think of ways to get a few minutes in the shop...if just to handle the tools. Resharpen the handplanes? Hmmm I have to do that one. Always feels good when that task is done.