Summer orders have been rolling in, and so have an enticing string of events to attend and places to visit, making each week fly by in a frenzy of work and play. Now that Five and a Half is in its second year of business and chugging along nicely, I realize that I’m in this for the long haul (and very lucky to be) so I’m learning to better balance my time. I think those of you who have your own business can relate, how sometimes it can be very difficult to “unplug” after a day of work ~ you find yourself still going through your to-do list in your head when you’re having dinner with family and friends, or right after waking up on the weekends you’re scurrying to your computer to see if there are any pressing matters that await you in your inbox.

We have a few rules in our home to help me get me out of work-mode ~ no e-mailing after 7pm each night, and absolutely no turning on the computer on weekend mornings. We’re outdoors a lot these days because of the gorgeous summer weather, but the thermostat’s rising a bit too quickly, so I know we’ll soon be hiding at home with the big air conditioner. I’ve got books to read (I’m currently working on Anna Karenina, in need of some proper old-fashioned literature after going through a bunch of contemporary novels that I didn’t take a liking to ~ Under the Volcano, A Personal Matter, and The Black Book), things to learn (I’ve been searching for neighborhood cooking classes and I’m also considering taking a class or two for sewing — with a machine, that is, and maybe even swing dancing), and things to get back to (painting, swimming, and experimenting with our gocco printer). It must seem strange to some, how I have to actually list each of these things that I could do. But ever since my hobby (making books and stationery) became my work, I’ve had to bump everything up on my list of other fun things to do. Not to say that designing and making journals isn’t great, because it is, and sometimes I wish there were more hours in a day so I’d have more time to work on them!

If you want to read about a designer who really knows how to balance work and play while making the former almost just as fun as the latter, there’s an awesome interview with Aaron Draplin over at Hear, Hear (and if you like dashchunds, you really shouldn’t miss it); via swissmiss, a++ , things that I wish I could own though I can’t read a word of the descriptions; and cool customizable notebooks by start here.

June 27th, 2007