Most of the time I’m surrounded with same objects, landscapes, and people. There are moments when I feel inspired, especially looking back at goals I have set and achieved. Although, sometimes it feels like I need a change of scenery, or a change of pace.

Finding The Right Balance

My current job is hardly from 9–to–5. It’s more 24–7 since I think about it all the time. I like what I do, and most of my days I get to design things, slice interesting UIs, test my front–end skills with new challenges and work on interesting projects. I like that.

Other times, I feel overwhelmed. Always jumping between projects and clients—personal and business challenges. I’d appreciate a slower pace in my daily routine, and concentrating on one or two things at most at any given time. Not like that’s going to happen anytime soon.

Thinking further about it, I love the faster pace, I love the challenge. So what’s exactly the problem?

Stop And Smell the _

In the last months I have been working on dozens of projects, jumping from one to the other, and juggling between several open ones. During all this I have optimised, revised and upgraded my workflow so much that my not–so–old projects feel like they’re lesser quality—even though I know on the inside they are pretty decent.

That made me feel like I don’t have enough time to play with things in my everyday work, I don’t get a chance to “make mistakes” and choose the wrong approach (but it happens anyway). I’d even feel guilty for playing with new technologies which I couldn’t integrate right away in our projects, since I was always catching a deadline. Silly, right?

Making Time

I hate excuses such as “I don’t have the time” because one should make time for important stuff. Tracking my time with Rescue Time (unobtrusive program that monitors what you do on the computer) in the last several months showed me where I’m wasting time so I can redirect it to something productive, something I enjoy more.

I hope making more free time for personal projects, not necessarily web–related, will give me a fresh perspective on things and the energy to keep doing what I love. I can sum it all up in a few bullets, short–term goals:

• Write more. Easier sad than done probably, but I’ll try to get more comfortable with my writings and publish on regular basis.
• Spend more time outside. Hike, walk, run, exercise…
• Read more. My reading material mostly consists of online websites and work–related books. Spice it up with a broader subject.
• Finish this thing. This site actually. Showcase my favorite projects and write about them.

I’ll see where it gets me and report back.

Full–speed ahead. Aye aye captain.