I’ve been away for a while, and not on vacation. It’s been more of the kind where I struggle to find time to sit down and take a moment to breathe. October was tough, and I’m finding it difficult to put down the chaos that’s in my head.
Work has been overwhelming lately. Sometimes, it follows me home, and recently, it consistently takes time away from my weekends.
The Motion Team is on an uphill journey to enhance creativity, collaborating with the Production Team to create more engaging videos. The plan is to offer an à la carte option, allowing clients to purchase a video package without the need for additional services like SEO or SMM. The planning stage continues, aiming to commence production at the start of 2024. It’s been a tiring process involving research, testing, and creating sample videos using content from the Production Team, all while managing the primary daily workload.
Approaching a transitional period in my career, I can’t help but reflect on the journey so far. In 2019, as a full-time Motion Designer at The Idea Lab, I gained firsthand experience of the hierarchy within a Creative team in an advertising agency. Witnessing how individual motion designers progress from a junior to a senior role and potentially to a managerial position, known as the Team Lead, left a lasting impression. Despite being a junior at the time, I set a goal to lead a team, paving the way for team members to unlock their creativity through videos benefiting both them and the company. While not officially designated, I’ve begun leading a small team and taking on decision-making responsibilities, marking the initial steps toward the goal I envisioned back then.
Is this the end goal? The straightforward answer is no. This goal was set four years ago, and while four years might not seem long to some, significant changes have occurred in my life during that time. I got married, moved to a new place with my wife, changed jobs, adopted two cats, and became a dad. Achieving these milestones has shifted certain perspectives. When the day comes for me to officially get promoted and learn about my increment, that too will provide a perspective for me to consider.
But in the end, is life wasteful if I spend most of it working 9-6? Whether it’s due to taking on a new portfolio or wondering about the extent of how fruitful this new role will be, I’ve been having thoughts like these recently. Working full-time feels like I’m draining my life away day by day. Yes, work pays the bills. The family gets to travel. The cats get a spacious condo. The baby gets a train set. But here’s the math.
A week consists of 168 hours. Subtract 7 hours of sleep each day, and you’re left with 119. Working from 9-6, Mondays to Fridays, takes away 55 hours, including commute time. This leaves you with 64. Suppose you spend an hour on chores a week, which is plausible; then your remainder is 57. With 57 hours left, that’s only a third of a week.
A friend reminded me today that life is short and fragile. One day, you will wake up, and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. As a parent, that already takes away some things I wished I could have done. Still, to witness the love a young baby has towards me has been one of the most amazing feelings, and I won’t take that away ever. But when it comes to work, am I going to let it be the reason I don’t live life more meaningfully?