Creating in the Middle

One of the greatest struggles for academics is balancing life and work.  I see this struggle already among graduate students and the lingering question follows us constantly: how can we enjoy the important things in life (family, friends, "the little things", our hobbies and interests) without sacrificing work?  A recurring theme has happened this week that might shed some light on answers to this not-so-rhetorical question.

Thank you to a wonderful professor who sent me a book chapter about creating in the middle this week!  This chapter gave some tips for meditating in order to focus on the task at hand, even when distractions surround you.  As I read the chapter, I realize that I do many of these things already when I am trying to focus myself, but it was great to have a vocabulary and resource to reference!

I'm currently reading Writing Places: The Life Journey of a Writer and Teacher by William Zinsser.  Last night, I came across a part of his book where he says that he never let his writing interfere with his life.  He never wrote in the evenings or on weekends - that was family time.  I loved reading that even a well respected professor and educator created boundaries for keeping work and life separate.

Currently, I am struggling with this divide.  I feel constant guilt at not giving my family and friends the attention they deserve due to my career aspirations.  I feel an equally strong tug to indulge in my interests, which are many and diverge from graduate school and work.

May has been a particularly challenging month, but I feel it has been my chance to prove I can "create in the middle".  It is almost the end of May, but I still have two celebrations left.  After 5 birthdays, 1 anniversary, 1 dissertation defense, finals, graduations, and other celebrations, I am relieved to see my writing log.  I haven't felt like I have worked this month at all because I have been so busy with the personal side of life.

Of the 31 days in May, I have been gone from my home for 16 of those days to visit other people for life celebrations.  I have to admit it has been fun, but how is anyone supposed to be productive?  Well, to continue Zinsser's Writing Places theme, I have written: at the beach, in a car (a lot!), late at night on friends' couches, in the country, and outside a movie theater.  This month, I have written in 8 different cities in Texas.  My writing log shows I have written over 40 hours this month (which is triumph all by itself!), and I have finished several large-scale tasks.

I don't claim to have it all figured out, and I certainly don't claim to know how to consistently create in the middle of life.  However, after this month, I feel I am well on my way to better understanding how to manage life and career.  May has been fun.  I was productive.  Best of all, I don't feel guilty for playing so much! :)