When Overcommitting Catches Up With You

This week has been a real lesson in overcommitting. I often wear many hats—mum to a busy 4-year-old, full-time NHS professional, wife, pet wrangler (we have quite the animal crew), and of course, artist. On top of all that, I’m preparing my African wildlife series for an exhibition at the end of the month. Just listing all that makes me feel breathless—and yet, I somehow thought it would be a great time to start a digital marketing course too!

The first module of the course was due this Thursday, and I knew I had to make the time to get it done. That meant prioritising and being very intentional with my time. One tool that’s really helped me is something I picked up from the podcast Your Art Matters. They talk about the concept of “Power Hours”—one hour of completely focused, uninterrupted time dedicated to just one task.

Honestly, it’s been life-changing.

When you're juggling a million things, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by everything flying at you. But giving myself permission to just focus on one thing at a time has been a game changer. It’s helped me feel in control—even when my to-do list is still long.

Right now, my ambition is to complete six to nine pieces for the African Wildlife series in time for the exhibition. But I’m not putting extra pressure on myself—if I don’t get them all done, that’s okay. I’ve still got my British Wildlife series, which I absolutely adore, and I’d love the opportunity to show it again. It's a collection I'm proud of, and it still holds so much meaning for me.

And yes—sometimes it does feel like a lot. But the truth is, I absolutely love it. None of it feels stressful—it’s just full. If it wasn’t fun, if I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t be doing it. This is my passion, my joy, and even on the busiest days, I’m grateful I get to live it.

That said, life always has a way of throwing a spanner in the works. This week, my daughter became unwell, and naturally, everything else took a back seat. For three days, I didn’t get much done. But that’s the reality of life, isn’t it? We shift gears when we need to. She needed me, so she came first.

And that’s okay.

I’m learning that overcommitting doesn’t mean failure. It means reassessing, refocusing, and sometimes letting things go—or at least postponing them—for what truly matters