The Nightmare Before Time Management

Based on the issues I raised in my last post, I decided to change a few of my challenges into goals. 

Goal #1: To prioritize my time in order to balance work, shop, recreation, and my many interests.

• Resources/Inspiration: http://ohioline.osu.edu/cd-fact/1006.html

Where does my time really go?

How would I like my time to be spent? (What are my priorities?)

So, what do I need to do differently?
1. Cut 12 hours from work.
2. Add 2 hours to working on shop merchandise, photos, updates.
3. Add 3 hours of exercise.
4. Add 3 hours to meditation.
5. Add 4 hours to relaxation/reading before bed.

That doesn’t seem soooo drastic, does it? Unfortunately, what that means is:

• I have to leave work by 4:00-4:30 every day, and am only allowed 3 hours of work from home (I just spent two hours grading and got through only three essays--help!!!  I need to get more efficient with my grading time!)
  

• Spend one hour per day on my shop or save it for one of the days of the weekend?  I think I will try to post an item or comment in the forums every morning and do the big stuff (taking pictures, etc.) on the weekends.

• Exercise after a long day at work 2-3 times a week, not just on the weekends. (I didn't even get to the gym today, because I'm suddenly sick again.  Hmmm, wonder if this time management thing was just too stressful for me to handle...?) 

• Reinstate my morning meditation on weekdays, whether in the bedroom or living room (already doing better on this one :))
  

• Get off the computer by 8:00 every night so I can read and relax before bed!

Yeesh, no wonder I don't like to think about this stuff.  Gives me a headache.  Well, okay, I already had one...

And that's only goal #1.  The others are:


Goal #2: Take the time to organize my things and clean up after each activity.

Goal #3: Don’t start new projects until I finish up the ones that are already out.

Goal #4: Be willing to learn by doing, instead of just by reading and doing book research about the topic (i.e. blogging, technology, shop stuff).

But I'll get to those in the next few posts!

After getting in some good meditation time yesterday and this morning, I realized this really isn't as big a deal as I'm making it.  Everything will work out in the end.  When I feel the urge to work on each thing, I will.  And it's okay if it isn't all done-- RIGHT NOW.

The Thinker Living in a Material World

This week’s assignment in my 52 Weeks of Blogging your Passion program is to write about an obstacle I’ve overcome in terms of my craft, shop, balancing time, or finding space for things.

I can think of many current obstacles, but one I have already overcome? That’s where I get stuck. I guess my accomplish- ments seem so small. I’ve already written about:

• learning how to knit and crochet when I was young

• how there are way too many yarn shops for me to have a lack of supplies or choice

• and opening my Etsy shop was super easy

No, the real issues are yet to be conquered. The first challenge is figuring and sorting them all out, which is what I will focus on in this post.

My current challenges are:

• Balancing time between work, shop, recreation, and my many interests (that crazy Google calendar!)
  

• Not enough space at home/Not making the time to organize things

• Starting many projects but not finishing them, so they sit around and clutter up the living room

• Wanting to research everything about everything, instead of actually DOING the things!

• I'm such a thinker and love the world of ideas, but struggle with getting those ideas out into the physical world

• And finally, there are so many others who make same/similar products out there, how do I compete for market share?

I always remember the words of my Buddhist meditation teacher when I ask him for advice, "Susan, you need to relax more deeply..." and I know that is the truest advice of all.

But, when I do have to face these kinds of issues, relaxing comes before (and while) taking action.  So, who out there has tackled similar issues?  What advice do you have for me?  I would love to hear it-- and Thanks!

Reaching for the Sun

New growth in the new year

Something I never seem to have enough of

I would have written yesterday, but was taking pictures of product for my Etsy shop aaaaalllll day, and then spent the evening learning how to use Google Calendar.  I vow that this year I'm going to keep all my to do lists on the computer instead of on my regular kajillion post-it notes that end up everywhere...

So I'm supposed to have a "mission" statement to present here, instead of just my usual rambling mode.  I can already feel my resistance to the word "mission" statement rising.  It feels so boxy, like I'm being reined in, corralled, confined.  Or maybe like then I'll have to keep to my word, if I write it down.  What if I can't keep all my promises???

I did write out all my reasons for making my craft--the passion and inspiration behind it, and how I learned it, but think I will leave those for another time.  They seem too cold and formulaic right now, and I'd rather tell them as a story.

Instead, I'll leave you with a few sneak peeks of the new product photos.  They seem to say everything I want to get across so much better than I could in words:

I'm going to try to list one item per day in the mornings before I go to work.  Let's see how long I keep that up!

Peace and good wishes to all in the New Year!