Is Being Able to Work the Same as Being Able to Create?

Every summer, I seem to forget how difficult it is to find time to create.

During the school year, everyone has a schedule. My son goes to school, the day has a structure, and within that structure I have time that is completely mine.

Summer is different.

I don't want my son spending the whole day in front of a screen, which means I also have to find alternatives: plan things for us to do together, arrange time with friends, or sometimes he simply sits beside me and starts talking. A lot of talking. 😅

And somehow, arranging a couple of hours with friends can involve a surprising amount of coordination with other parents. 🙃

I can take my laptop to the park and answer emails while I watch him and his friends play soccer. I can get administrative work done while he's beside me doing something else.

But being able to work isn't the same as being able to create.

Creative work needs a different kind of time. I need enough quiet in my head to stay with an idea, wander a little, get something wrong, and not be interrupted every few minutes.

So during the summer, I often feel like I'm on standby—not quite knowing when my time will be my own, and fitting it around what everyone else wants to do or what requires my attention.

The strange thing is, I don't necessarily want it to be different.

I love having this time with my son. I love that summer gives us days that aren't completely organized around school and schedules.

And now, with fall getting closer, I find myself wanting two opposite things:

I'm looking forward to having my creative time back, but I also don't want summer with my son to end.

With fall around the corner, I'm curious—are you ready for routines to return, or are you holding on to these last unstructured days of summer? 😎