On Time Management

My life at the moment feels like that scene in the last act of Goodfellas when Ray Liotta’s character is trying to transport drugs and weapons across country, cook the perfect tomato sauce and meatballs for dinner, visit mobster friends in prison all the while under the watchful eye in the sky of the FBI, and all the while sleep deprived and high as a kite… 

I should probably clarify that I mean this metaphorically. Mostly. My meatballs are awesome.

The last couple of weeks has been choco-block. It’s seen us submit our portfolios for a first book crit, delivery of a two day-brief, delivery of two portfolio briefs. I’ve juggled the day job with parenthood on top of School, which has meant my two-month-old son (if he could talk, he’d probably tell you about the time he met John Hegarty over Zoom) has gate-crashed yet another Masterclass. He’s a big fan of Uri now too.

I’ve had the bad luck to spill coffee all over my laptop and kill it two hours before the submission deadline for a portfolio brief while rushing to tend to a screaming four-year-old (my daughter this time) … but the good luck to have used Time Machine so I could restore all files on a different machine, as well as a calm and understanding creative partner who talked me off the ledge. (We hit the deadline.)

I’ve pulled a couple of lates (after I swore not to go past midnight) and found myself re-reading about circadian rhythm hacks for the first time in years. 

But I’ve also had a snowball fights and made blueberry muffins and creepy foot high snowmen and made up silly songs, attempted frame animation and had some incredible masterclasses. I’m energised by the cocktail of adrenaline, inspiration, fear of failing, the glory of winning, the privilege of working alongside a talented cohort and being taught by the best in the business.

So… time management? I’m working on it, but the phrase implies there is time to manage in the first place.

I’m finding that even if you are religiously logging and scheduling every minute, life gets in the way. 

Isn’t that glorious.