This blog post is in response to Natalie’s 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 5. Natalie's challenge today was to set yourself up for success by overcoming the time thief. We all struggle with the time thief. Sometimes we give up the pretence of struggling with the intruder by inviting the time thief into our day. I prefer to hang out the no vacancy sign on a daily basis.
Hanging out the no vacancy sign for the time thief means working in the office surrounded by art that inspires me. A beautiful quilted piece hangs on the wall behind me. It reminds me of my sensei, a word lover and quilter, who continues to encourage me. Words dance across the wall above the credenza. An inexpensive blue glass vase stands at the corner of my desk. An accordion file folder covered with roses and embossed with "she created the life she loved" leans elegantly against the wall.
Enfolded by whimsy, I minimize wasted moments by mapping out my work day; colour coding blocks of time according to the goals I want to achieve. Every day includes time for specific projects, rejuvenation, and eating. Some days include volunteering or visiting. Alarms remind me to move along to the next task while permitting me a fifteen minute window to wrap up the current task. I am comfortable knowing that the day will always have wrinkles.
Some wrinkles will be welcome and others will be relatives of the time thief. However, whatever the day brings I will live it fully, wringing out every last moment. How do you set yourself up to do your best work and live your best life?
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| Quilt art by Jessie Schut |
Enfolded by whimsy, I minimize wasted moments by mapping out my work day; colour coding blocks of time according to the goals I want to achieve. Every day includes time for specific projects, rejuvenation, and eating. Some days include volunteering or visiting. Alarms remind me to move along to the next task while permitting me a fifteen minute window to wrap up the current task. I am comfortable knowing that the day will always have wrinkles.
Some wrinkles will be welcome and others will be relatives of the time thief. However, whatever the day brings I will live it fully, wringing out every last moment. How do you set yourself up to do your best work and live your best life?
Well, Joy, this is a tough one. First of all, I'm blushing -- you know why. And then I have to admit that wasting time is my undoing. I am very good at it. If creativity is my superpower, inefficiency is what will suck away the spark. No, I lie. Distraction will suck away the spark. As I posted in my last blog, "squirrel, squirrel" is constantly luring me down trails I never intended to travel. On this vacation, I am seeing 1001 projects calling to me. I tell myself to finish something before starting something new, but it doesn't work very well. Okay, that's one thing. The other is that, faced with 1,001 possibilities, I start playing computer games (good ones, of course, involving words and pattern matching, etc., but still...) so that I won't have to make a decision about where to start. So. On this topic, you are the sensei.
ReplyDeleteIt's not all bad. I get many things done, especially if there are deadlines and commitments. (The posting every Sunday is an example.) I'll have to noodle some more on this one.
You might enjoy today's post from Natalie about imperfect actions! Keep noodling.
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