Since I’ve been so focused on getting everything ready for Teslacon this year, I’ve neglected my other projects, my growing pile of videos, and even my journal. As I finish these costumes, I can’t wait to get back to everything else and regain some sense of normalcy: although nothing is really normal anymore in my world.

If you’re just joining me, here’s the quick backstory.

I was laid off in May after almost 21 years at my job. I had always wanted to start my own business, and part of that plan was launching my YouTube channel, which I finally did in August.

It’s a maker channel, and getting it started took a lot of work. Here’s a little secret: the videos you’re watching now were finished at least four weeks ago. Several more are waiting in the wings, and even more still need their final edits. I’m usually eight to ten weeks ahead of what you actually see.

I planned it that way so I would have time for bigger projects (or a couple of days off if I wasn’t feeling well) without immediately falling behind. The problem is that I’m still constantly scrambling to develop the next idea, start the next project, finish it, and turn it into a video.

Don’t get me wrong: I love doing it. There’s so much satisfaction in completing each video, but full costume builds take an incredible amount of work. What you see on screen is only part of it. Behind the scenes, I’m developing the idea, figuring out how to make it, filming the process, and then editing everything.

Editing is the longest and hardest part. It isn’t just cutting footage. I have to find the right music, create chapter names, make it funny (because I’m hilarious, and everyone should get to enjoy that) and produce the welcome and goodbye portions, which I try not to call the intro and outro. Then I export it, write the description, add chapters, links, and materials, think of a snappy title, and design a thumbnail intriguing enough to make someone click.

Even with all that work, posting a finished video is amazing, gratifying, and a little addicting. It feels like saying, “Here is this thing I made just for you.” I even enjoy creating two Shorts a week, although they can be just as difficult to come up with as the long-form videos.

I guess I’m getting several little serotonin boosts every week; but I work hard for them. I probably work more now than I did at my full-time corporate job. The difference is that this work is far more satisfying.

The real problem is that I’m spending so much time creating projects for my channel that I’m not focusing enough on the products I originally wanted to sell. I bought the fabric back in June, and I’ve only recently started working with some of it. There’s also a lot of beading involved, which is incredibly time-consuming. Sure, I could buy premade bead strands in the colors I want, but then would it really be handmade?

I’m not complaining. Far from it. I simply have a problem to solve, and there never seem to be enough hours in the day to solve it.

Somewhere in all of this, I also maintain a minor semblance of a personal life. I’m officiating a wedding in December, which I’ve been preparing for over the past few months. I make time for Reiki, haircuts, chiropractic adjustments, massages, and occasionally seeing my cosplay friends, although that has happened less often since June.

I also volunteer with Chicagoland Animal Rescue three days a week. On Wednesdays, I spend time at PetSmart and at our private space, and afterward I download and edit the footage for the rescue’s YouTube channel.

That is one channel I will happily promote to everyone. The more subscribers and viewers we have, the sooner it can become monetized and generate money for the cats. C.A.R. is entirely volunteer-run, so donations (monetary or otherwise) go directly toward caring for them, including veterinary visits, prescriptions, food, and litter. Please take a few minutes to subscribe. If not for me, do it for the cats!

Basically, I’m running two YouTube channels while planning to launch a third. I’ve wanted to start it for more than a month, but I’m taking what I’ve learned and trying to launch this one more smoothly than I launched my sewing channel. It should be a little less work because it focuses on something I already do every day: eating.

It isn’t a food channel, though. It’s about my migraines, and I’ll be sure to share it once I get it going.

All in all, I’m a busy person, and honestly, that’s how I like it. When I started, I was more disciplined about assigning certain work to certain days: Monday was for this, Tuesday was for that, and so on. I need to find that rhythm again. Smaller projects will help, but I also need to accept that I can’t do everything at once.

Maybe maintaining my sanity isn’t about doing less. Maybe it’s about giving everything its proper time—and remembering why I started doing it in the first place.

What do you do to stay sane when everything you enjoy starts competing for your time?