NotMinus

I have started working full time now instead of a few days a week, to a constant monday to friday nine to five. I don't even ask anymore I just come to work monday to friday now. I want to continue on with getting a degree in transportation design but I find that everyweekend I have a hard time really motivating myself to work on my portfolio. I usually whip out my art supplies and pencil down concept sketches and add a few strocks of color on and get bored, or things don't look as I expect them or am drawn away by other hobbies and on monday morning I feel depressed that I didn't really work towards anything real for myself this weekend. It seems to be a continuing cycle and I think I may have been slightly depressed but the feelings have dissapated, with each morning I seem to wake up in a great mood and plan on kicking the days ass. Anyways, do you feel that working for someone else is not enough? Do you feel you need to accomplish personal goals on the weekend or you are not satisfied with yourself? Out of curiosity what does everyone do in there spare time?

NotMinus

To answer my own questions about hobbies:

I work on and maintain my 1978 Porsche.

I try to put more effort into my portfolio

I have started doing some woodworking projects and plan to design and make a bed for myself

I play videogames and enjoy listening to a few albums.

qtpye4u84

Weekends, Hummm, suck!!!!!!!!!!!!! because my nieces dont have school, and there stupid ass parents leave them with me and they call there little stupid friends and have them spend the night, some times without asking me, they will ask there parents not me and its my damn house.

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StormBerlin

My advice would be to maybe cut down to four day's a week instead of five? Or leave a little earlier on Friday. I have the same problem (go to school full time and work full time) and I have no energy anymore to do papers, study, or even go out anymore. I just sit here... Try lightening your work load first.

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Jesus Pimp

Yeah weekends suck! It's a time when I want to relax after a 40 hour work week. I need to finish up my portfolio and redo my resumes but it's really tough. Best advice is to stop making excuses and just do it. Don't even think it's the weekend. Good luck!

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onodrim

I often have the same problem. I hit the weekend and I just want to relax, but then I feel bad for not accomplishing anything.

What works for me in order to be productive is to literally schedule out my day. Set aside specific time that I'm going to work on a particular project. I'm much more likely to get work done that way than if I just keep saying, "oh I'll get around to it later." Also, like Jesus Pimp said, sometimes forgetting that it actually is the weekend can help.

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yournamehere

To avoid completely wasting a weekend, I've started to devote Saturday to getting the necessary things done - yard work, housecleaning, grocery shopping, laundry, etc.
I set aside Sunday for play or just relaxing. Seems to work okay.

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hunnychile

We artists have our cross to bear (& it's worth the bloodshed & dramas) and constant development of our craft, albeit, art "work"...you need to know that Yes, Dear One - a portfolio is your Lifeline, at the very least...and it must be the truest expression of your energy, unique ideas and soul. Sometimes it's not pretty. But it's real. I've had to give up bad habits & distracting friends to devote more time to my art of painting & assemblege. My real friends know when I am in the art "trance" & they go party elsewhere until I emerge from my studio with new canvases. I get up at 6 - 7:00AM daily & sometimes stay up until 3 or 4:00AM working on my art. The pieces that evolve into being just studies are sometimes the most entriquing works.

Who cares if your place needs cleaned or you're outta undies. Just buy more underwear! Obsessing about the mundane will be a distraction & those grow like a fungus. Give yourself "art time" Every Day. Even if you're just cleaning brushes or priming canvas. That's why my time on TFP is so few & far between.

But it's a great trade off.

I champion all your efforts!

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Prince

Mmmh... Weekend, ideally, means no plans. This to me sounds and is great. Maybe I'll go out and do stuff, maybe just chill at home. However, my wife has a tendency to make plans for the both of us and clue me in at the last minute.

Spent the day at her idiot friend's place. And trust me, I don't call her an idiot for a no good reason. But, I did manage to get nicely wasted with some Smirnoff Raspberry, so it wasn't that bad.

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raeanna74

NotMinus It kindof sounds like you may be getting burned out. It's hard to find that motivation when you are working for yourself so to speak. One thing I find that helps motivate me is I make lists of what I want to do. Even if it's way more than I can do in one day it helps me concentrate on the task at hand. I don't end up worrying or getting distracted by the other jobs. I can prioritize the list by smallest jobs first so their done and out of the way or by putting the most important first. Also give yourself a timeframe. Ex. "I'm going to work on this from 9:00am until 11:00 am." The promise yourself something that you enjoy. When your ending time comes round Stop. Don't let yourself go on even if you are on a roll cause the next time you give yourself a timeframe you'll know in the back of your head that it's not really for sure and you won't be as motivated. You don't have to stop for a long time. Just go get yourself a snack, walk out to check the mail, go for a walk around the block. Whatever it is you want. Then go back to working again. You'll have given yourself a good break and accomplished something. The two things together may help you find the motivation you need to work more.

qtpye4u84 That sucks. Maybe you could tell your siblings that you can't keep watching their kids on the weekends without monetary compensation since they eat your food and you can't go out and do your own thing. Give them a set amount per hour that is competitive with what other sitters would charge or you'll still be cheaper than the rest. I'm sure the only reason they are constantly there is because you're a free sitter. It's a big temptation for a parent to want to use the "free" sitter instead of the regular one that they have to pay. It will at least lesson the frequency.

I know the feeling. Some days on the weekends I know I need to clean house or do some job around here and yet I'll sit and read a book all day or just plain goof off all day. We go out a lot on Sat nights cause that's one of the few nights that I ever have free. When I have that to look forward to then I tend to be more motivated to get up and get stuff done. Sunday mornings I do reserve for just lazying around and reading the paper. I have the ritual where I usually go get donuts and a paper. It gets me out of bed and up so I feel better. Then I get to relax and I don't have anything nagging at me to get things done. When I know I'm going to get that guilt free break it helps me at the times when I do have to get stuff done.

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woOt?

I work 60+ hour weeks. In the weekends I typical feel depressed, lonely and unproductive. Hey man, that's life!

tkkfan

I work like woOt? does. 60+ hr weeks for a place that I HATE. On weekends I just want to sit and do nothing. Even going on vacation feels like work.

Did I mention that I hate my fucking job.

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floydthebarber

I love my job during the week and usually hang out, drink beer and fart around in my yard during the weekends.

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FaderMonkey

I also have the problem of having a day job that isn't really what I want to be doing with my life. I want to write more music, but I find myself being really lazy or busy doing stuff with my free time like dealing with bills and cleaning and other crap. I always hope that, "this weekend, I'm just going to stay home, relax, and get some writing done", but it doesn't usually happen that way.

I think I'm going to start taking this advice.

skier

I think that the problem is that weekends are "Break time", not work time- anything remotely associated with work is to be resented, because the weekend you've decided is your time to play. Ya gotta take one day from your weekend and add it to your work week if you want to get anything done. So you'll be "working" at your portfolio or whatnot.

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Nefir

Since I've started learning to play an instrument, spare time has become a very valuable, and very rare commodity.

When I come back home from work during the week, I have at most a couple of hours before its time to go to bed.

On the weekends, I try to be as productive as possible - some times I grab my camera, and head out to places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or Battery Park, etc. There are always things to take pictures of, and it feels good when you get it right. Other times I just practice all day until my fingers hurt.

What I really dread doing is just sitting on my ass in front of a computer, as thats what I do at my job anyway. But some times I end up doing just that.

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thespian86

I feel lonely on the weekends because I'm really into music. Emo most of all and when I write a good Emo song it makes me sad. Lately I have been doing things with a friend and it is making my time off much more fun. I also play guitar so alot of my time is spent towards that.

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SpikeQX99

In my profession, it would occur to me that weekends are just another excuse to work more and try to "get ahead", but as soon as we get ahead, they adjust the schedule and work us the next weekend again. 400 hours of OT since January is bound to burn anyone out. I did get last weekend off and I just chilled at home and worked on the car, went to the neighbor kids' baseball game, and just killed time. I had a really nice time, but this weekend? More work...Noon to Midnight

Dammit.

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