Time
The thing with Warhammer 40k is that it takes up a huge
amount of time.
It takes time to hobby:
1. Getting
the models, paints and equipment out
2. Painting
models
3. Building
models
4. Cutting
models off the sprue
5. Cleaning
the models up (mould lines etc.)
6. Travelling
to and from shops to buy stuff
7. Buying
stuff
8. Putting
stuff away again after hobby time.
It takes time to play:
1. Building
lists
2. Travelling
to and from a playing venue if not at home
3. Setting
up a play area
4. Getting
models out
5. Playing
the actual game
6. Taking
down the play area
7. Putting
models away again
It takes time to read, keep up to date and interact about
40k
1. Reading
blogs
2. Reading
books
3. Listening
to podcasts
4. Watching
Youtube vids
5. Social
media interactions
6. Chatting
with friends on the phone, whatsapp etc.
7. Playing
40k games – Space Marine, Space Hulk etc.
When I look back at this list, and I’m sure I have missed
loads of things, I really do wonder how on earth anyone has the time to get
involved with the game or any of its forms.
My current
situation
My life at the moment is pretty hectic. I am married with
my wife and I both working as full time teachers in special schools. We have 2 children
under 11, 1 dog and 2 Guinea pigs. I am also a Beaver scout leader and so my
standard week looks something like this:
Monday
School. Evening is free but generally do schoolwork as
it’s the start of the week.
Tuesday
School followed straight away by Beavers. No free time in
the evening.
Wednesday
School. Daughter activities but 1 hour free in the
evening.
Thursday
School. Daughter activities. Home about 9.15pm ready for
tea!
Friday
School. Daughter activities.
Saturday
Family Day
Sunday
Church. Family Day, schoolwork in evening.
As a dad I am sure I am not alone in this kind of routine
and unfortunately it leaves very little time to spend on myself. As many people
do I also have many interests. I play guitar, like to drink beer, play 40k,
rock climb, train in the gym and play different sports. So what can we do to be
able to squeeze some time in for Warhammer?
Making Time
1. Focus
on the bigger picture
The first thing that I find I
need to do is realise that I am very lucky. I have a beautiful wife and 2
beautiful daughters, I live in my own house (well the bank owns most of it!)
and my situation, living in England, is very fortunate – we are safe and living
in a lawful democracy. I must never forget that these are the most important
things in my life even if I really want to paint that model or play that game.
In reality it is only Warhammer – even if I really love it I could do without it
– Just!
2. Be
organised
I find that I need to keep a
diary and plan ahead when I am going to do things. This is already in place as
I have a school diary that I use every day. Using this I plot my days and then
I can put my hobbies into place around the events I can’t change – daughter
activities, work etc.
There are some weeks where I
just can’t have anything to do with 40k. This week for instance has been
impossible as it is assessment report time at school and I have had meetings
for scouts in the evenings. Other weeks however give me loads of opportunities
when my wife will go out to see her friends or takes the girls to their
activities.
3. Do
little and often
One of the most successful
ways that I make progress with hobby time in 40k is to plan 20-30min sessions
into my week. Even if we are busy it is always possible to find a half hour
here and there. Before I do this I make sure that I know exactly what I’m going
to be doing (base colours of red and black or washes for example). This reduces
the time spent setting up as I can get things ready prior to my 30mins so I can
start painting straight away.
4. Use
your dead time
Dead time is time spent
commuting, breaks at work or waiting for children to finish their activities.
Commuting is a great time for podcasts while driving. A break at work for
Twitter, Facebook etc. Write a blog post while waiting for children during
their activities.
5. Plan
ahead
For longer activities such as
games it is important to plan ahead. Look at your diary at least a month ahead
and pick a date to play. Then make sure to tell your better half and okay it
there and then. Believe me it is much better than springing it on your partner
last minute! Once it is agreed he or she can plan to do things around your time
playing such as meeting friends or another activity. Unfortunately sometimes
things do go wrong last minute such as an argument or something urgent comes up
which means the game gets cancelled (I have let the other dads down enough
times!) but at the end of the day refer back to point 1 and remember what’s
important. Another game can always be booked in also giving you more leverage
as it has been cancelled once already.
What a week may
look like
My week planned ahead may look something like this:
Monday
Before school while the girls practice piano I practice
the guitar. School. Listen to 40k podcast on way home. Schoolwork to set me up
for the rest of the week. Read Black
Library book in bed.
Tuesday
Before school while the girls practice piano I practice
the guitar. School followed straight away by Beavers. Listen to 40k podcast on
way home. Read Black Library book in bed.
Wednesday
Before school while the girls practice piano I practice
the guitar. School. Listen to 40k podcast on way home. Wife takes daughters to activities
and goes to gym. Hobby time 1 hour. Read Black Library book in bed.
Thursday
School. Listen to 40k podcast on way home. Take daughters
to activities. Home about 9.15pm ready for tea! Read Black Library book in bed.
Friday
School. Listen to 40k podcast on way home. Take Daughters
to activities. Read Black Library book in bed.
Saturday
Family Day. Read Black Library book in bed.
Sunday
Family Day, schoolwork in evening. Read Black Library
book in bed.
As you can see with my week, painting time is only an
hour, however my wife may go and see her friends one night or may go to the gym
a couple of nights in the week when my girls have gone to bed. Typically I get
another two half hour slots for hobby time during the week. This doesn't sound
a lot but if you are prepared these half hours add up and make you focus which
is great for getting projects finished.
Deadlines
One final aspect of fitting in some hobby is to give
yourself an ultimatum or a deadline. I have two such deadlines at the moment.
1. I
am not allowed to buy any more models until I have no more to paint.
-
This hurts. A lot! But I am getting through my
Flesh Tearers and Astra Militarum because of it. I have about 1000 points of AM
and about 1500 of Flesh Tearers to go…
2. The
four dads have started the Spartan challenge within which I entered my
Stormraven. It needed painting but I have been putting it off as I don't really
like the model so it is a great way to push myself to get it done.
I hope that you have enjoyed reading about the
difficulties of fitting 40k in and I would love to hear how you do it, whether
you are similar to me or of any better ways to get more 40k into my life.
All the best,
James
