Kathy Hamilton When you can’t stop trying to force family and friends to read a book, you know it’s time to make a proper book review of it! So, for my first review in 2016 I couldn’t resist telling you about The Fringe Hours by Jessica N Turner. Seriously, I think I’ve managed to turn nearly every conversation I had over the Christmas holidays into a conversation about this book! It’s that good, I genuinely think it might have changed my life! Or at least my perspective. And it might be able to change yours…
I first heard about The Fringe Hours from The Lively Show. A great podcast run by Jess Lively where Jessica was recently a guest. She talked about her busy schedule and how makes time for her hobbies and interests and I was intrigued. How did a full time Marketing Manager and mother fit a running her popular blog, family time and crafts into her life and still have time to get all the rest done?
Her revelation? She doesn’t.
We All Wish We Had More Time
There’s never enough time, right? Somehow another day rolls by and we realise that the craft project we definitely meant to start is still sitting there, we haven’t been to the gym and we 100% just ate crackers for dinner. There is, after all, only 24 hours in a day and, if we’re getting as much sleep as we probably should, we can remove 8 of them before we even start. It can seem 
impossible to see where you can fit everything in, but The Fringe Hours is all about taking another look at your life and finding areas of compromise. Because let’s face it, if you love something enough you can find the time.
Jessica focused on debunking the myth that she can do everything. This is an unrealistic standard to set ourselves, she states. What she does is use her time intentionally. She knows she’s a better person all round when she’d had time to scrapbook, so she compromises putting away the laundry, or making a fabulous meal, to create space in her day to indulge in this hobby. Yes, that may mean the house is a bit messier…but in the long run who cares?
She also insists that we eliminate time drains in our lives. Yes, we may love the idea of being the person who brings Pinterest perfect home baked cakes to the coffee morning, but if that’s not something that brings us joy, it’s ok to buy cakes from the shop. In fact, it’s better.
The core message here; stop trying to do everything. Some things have got to give, but it shouldn’t be the things you love. Instead, focus on using your extra time intentionally. This can work in many ways, either adding things to your life or taking them away. It may seem amazing to join a book club, she suggests, and it can be, but if you feel like it’s another burden to your already full schedule, it’s ok to say no. Or even, not right now.
Reclaim The Fringe Hours
The biggest point Jessica makes in this book is that you shouldn’t just try to have time for yourself every day, you should make it non-negotiable. Women, she suggests, are pretty terrible at this…something that has got to change. That’s great, but for most of us the pressures on our time, work, family, social obligations, aren’t exactly things we can just drop. The Fringe Hours is all about offering up ways and methods to implement this change and feel happier in the process, without ignoring those responsibilities
One of the main ways she suggests doing this is about reclaiming all the spare moments of time (or Fringe Hours) in our day that may go wasted otherwise. On example she gives is reading magazines whilst blow drying her hair. This turned a standard chore into relaxation. She also decided that going to be earlier meant she could wake up early (5 am eeek!) which gave her a, much prized, time in her day when she could really enjoy ‘me time’ before anyone else was awake. Was it a shift? Yes, but it’s had a positive impact in her life.
Ok, so I tried waking up at 5am and it wasn’t pretty (Really, really not pretty). Not all changes work for everyone, and it’s important not to expect them to. Jessica devotes quite a lot of time to how important religion and taking time to focus on it daily is for her, for example; something which is never going to be a priority for some people. So, if that’s a no-go for you it might be worth skipping this particular book. However, that said I really do think there’s something in this book for everyone.
For instance, a passage about a woman who reads in airport queues (she’s a frequent flier) and the difference she found to her mood because of it really resonated with me.
Since I began working full time, the daily commute has been something that annoyed me immensely. I hated finishing work and knowing that I had at least and two hours before I’d be home, settled, finished my evening meal and ready to do something other than be at work. But that passage challenged me to revaluate my two 30-minute bus journeys and see them as a perfect opportunity for me-time.
Suddenly I have 60 minutes a day to read, or listen to a podcast, when before I struggled to find time for this hobby. It may seem like a little shift, but trust me when I say it feels huge. It’s had a massive impact on my overall mood. I arrive at work feeling alert and ready to face the day. I get home and I feel like I’ve already begun the unwinding process. I may not have the time to sit and enjoy 6 hour reading stints like I used to at University, but I can enjoy 3 or 4 chapters of a book in a bus journey. Plus, I no longer resent that particular part of my day.
Putting It Into Pracitice
I suppose you go into reading a book like The Fringe Hours with an idea of what you want to get from it already percolating in your brain. I know I did, it’s unavoidable. Certain books only appeal to us because we hear about them at a point in our lives when we’re looking for an answer, or a change.
We all have tonnes of goals and interests that we find get pushed to the side because real life gets in the way. The thing is, real life is exactly what it says on the tin. It’s real, and we can’t avoid it. The Fringe Hours is about acting intentionally and promoting the things we love more. It’s about learning to compromise. Deciding that some things that bog us down really are unimportant in the long run is freeing. I’m clearly a convert, here I am writing this blog in my own fringe hours instead of putting my laundry away (sorry Grandma I will get it done eventually!)
So, if you feel like you could do with a fresh perspective on how you view your day to day life this might be the book for you, you can get it here. You might just find you even have time to set your self a 2016 Book Challenge (shameless plug!)
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