All who are busy, where do you find your time?

Seems like a lot of people are in the same boat.

Work 52-53 hours week (just five days now, thank goodness). Unfortunately, it is second shift and I leave at noon and get home at midnight. Chores and such in the morning, worn out after getting home, and hungry. Not sure the neighbors would put up with the grinder at 1:00 am either. My wife is away from home all week, and gets home late Friday night. Saturdays I get a few hours in the garage, but since I do not see the wife during the week, I try to make up for it on Saturday afternoons and evenings. Sundays I get a few hours as well, so I say I get 5-6 hours a week, which isn't much, and certainly not enough.

Good news though, as my schedule will change do to a promotion and I will have normal hours for the first time in almost 3 years. With the new schedule it looks like I may get to double my time in the garage, and achieve some goals I have set for myself in 2013.

As said above, it is a hobby for me as well, and taking time away from my wife to do my hobby is cheating the both of us. Chasing rainbows is a problem as well for me, as knife making has opened my mind to other crafty things, delving into cultures and their knife culture, etc...
 
Arghh! I just found out yesterday that I will be transferring to the training unit so my 1.75 hr daily communte just turned into 2.5 hrs. I should probably just sell my grinder now :)
 
I am in the same boat Don. Even worst since the beginning of the summer, almost no time in the shop at all. What bugs me the most is that I started selling a while back (sold only one to date). :o I have a knife in the works that is spoken for and I feel bad for having the buyer wait that long. Also have a few on a waiting list and I also feel bad for them. I am reconsidering the whole selling thing because of that. :(
 
I wouldn't worry about it Patrice, your work is worth waiting for. Just put them up for sale only once they're done. I, personally, wouldn't want the pressure of a list for that reason unless I was a full-time maker.
 
Patrice Lemée;11405718 said:
I am in the same boat Don. Even worst since the beginning of the summer, almost no time in the shop at all. What bugs me the most is that I started selling a while back (sold only one to date). :o I have a knife in the works that is spoken for and I feel bad for having the buyer wait that long. Also have a few on a waiting list and I also feel bad for them. I am reconsidering the whole selling thing because of that. :(
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This is one of the main things that irk me. I've gotten to the point where I feel confident in my work to sell it, and have sold several, but don't have the time to make more to sell and improve.

One of the good things is that I am constantly thinking of ideas of improvement, which is actually very helpful. If I find myself with a lot of time and make stuff constantly, I tend to get tunnel vision and don't see the big picture.
 
I work full time, and out of town regularly.
On alternate weeks I get about 10-14 hours in the shop spread over evenings. On the intervening weeks I get about 4 hours.

My production rate is about 2 per month, and at that rate it doesn't take long to get backed up if you're selling. And my stuff is relatively simple compared to a lot of the work on the forum..
Getting more of my own equipment will help.
 
AWSmith said:
Seems like a lot of people are in the same boat.

Work 52-53 hours week (just five days now, thank goodness). Unfortunately, it is second shift and I leave at noon and get home at midnight. Chores and such in the morning, worn out after getting home, and hungry. Not sure the neighbors would put up with the grinder at 1:00 am either. My wife is away from home all week, and gets home late Friday night. Saturdays I get a few hours in the garage, but since I do not see the wife during the week, I try to make up for it on Saturday afternoons and evenings. Sundays I get a few hours as well, so I say I get 5-6 hours a week, which isn't much, and certainly not enough.

Good news though, as my schedule will change do to a promotion and I will have normal hours for the first time in almost 3 years. With the new schedule it looks like I may get to double my time in the garage, and achieve some goals I have set for myself in 2013.
Click to expand...

Your schedule is just like mine. My wife works days so the only time I see her or the kids is on the rare weekend I have off. They are gone when I get up in the morning and sleeping when I get off work. I get "in trouble" for going into the garage most times whether it's to work on knives, my motorcycles, or whatever project I have going on.

Switching to midnights next year, so hopefully that changes things a little (I could go to a day shift, but I'm not a fan of those hours and I haven't had a normal day job in about fifteen years). In theory that will allow me to work in the garage on my nights off. I'm not sure it'll work out that way, but we'll see.
 
I am out to work about 55 hours a week and every week night I get around two hours in the shop with 4-8 hours during the weekend. There have been a few evenings where the work day had worn me out and I stayed out of the shop. Christmas is usually my busiest time and this year I have a dozen orders to fill. My wife is very understanding when it comes to time spent in the shop since it helps with the bills. :greedy_dollars:
 
Like most I am part time maker, it is hard to get a good block of time to work so I plan my tasks accordingly, last night I reviewed one blade that was very near the final finish, marked areas that needed more work and did a little sanding, tonight I will probably complete the sanding. I have another that need the guard to be ground next. This way I make the most of the small amount of time I have. I can usually manage 2-3 hours each night, and maybe 4-5 on Sat and Sun.
 
my work shift is tailor made for me to make knives. I work 2pm untill 12:30 am monnday to thursday. 3 day weekend every week and 4-5hours a day in the shop and a full day fridays. Since I have been on light duties with an injury they have had me on days and my time in the shop has been vastly reduced. cant wait untill im back on my regular shift.
 
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