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But is it? Could it be that I really don't understand how to live successfully? Take time to focus on the little things in life and let those replenish me. Prioritizing has always been a big deal to me. I'm a list maker. Yeah, one of those people. But the older I get the less my lists help me. Frankly, they stress me out. 
Sometimes I'm good at managing my time, others...not so much. And it goes without saying there's enough, right? Too bad we can't buy some.
ReplyDeleteFunny you mention buying some. That's what my anthology story was about - buying time. :) It wasn't that pleasant for the ones who lost it, though.
DeleteMy to-do list is always longer than the hours in a day. Sometimes I waste that time if i don't feel like doing anything.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think we all go there at times. It's making sure we get back that's important.
DeleteI cram so much into my days, I have to be good at it. Or at least good at keeping it all organized.
ReplyDeleteI also recommend clones. They help.
Gosh, if I could really clone myself I'd have done it twenty years ago. Actually, twenty-one years ago; my oldest son turned 21 this past summer. I could have probably used two clones to run my four kids to and from hockey practice/games.
DeleteI am so shaking my head right now.... When you read my post, you'll understand why.....It's so nice to know I am in wonderful company....
ReplyDeleteTime always seems to get away from me. When I do make a list, I am intimidated by the need to get everything done at once and by the deadline.
ReplyDeletePerhaps you need to add some things like remember to breathe, take a moment to appreciate what you've accomplished so far, and above all be flexible. Congratulate yourself on the things you've done. Its harder to acknowledge the little things while working on those big ones.
I was just at C Lee's, and your comment was just above mine. I noticed you needed hugs today, so I wanted to be sure and stop by with a big (((VIRTUAL HUG))) and a pat on the back for continuing on with your dreams and lists despite the time crunch.
So sweet of you to notice my comment on another site and pay me a visit. Giving ourselves permission to reach just shy of our goals - even the daily ones - is so important. And your right; I stink at that. Recognizing our smaller accomplishments can also take the edge off life. Thank you so much for the reminder. Hearing it from someone else really does help.
DeleteAll the best to you!
I'm in the staring into space mode. Time goes by slower. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha! That's good. I might try that ... like right now.
DeleteI'm not sure if I'm good at managing times. There are moments when I get a lot done, then stretches where I get very little. I guess if I can get myself motivated time isn't an issue.
ReplyDeleteI struggle with this too. The thing that's helped me lately is trying to get my have-to stuff out of the way first. I read a book in December, where the author suggested "doing the hard thing first" when setting your priorities. I'm not always good at that, but it helps when I do. The problem is, sometimes writing is my hard thing. :)
ReplyDeleteTime eludes me too! I wish I had more of it or at least used the bit I have productively. I feel your pain. It's hard to get all we want to accomplish done in one day but I guess we just have to remember: one step at a time, one day at a time, one week at a time, one year at a time. Someday we'll look back and realize we accomplished more than we ever thought possible! But day to day, it's sometimes hard to recognize it.
ReplyDeleteI'm struggling with time issues these days, too. It feels like everything is calling out "priority #1" or "Warning: self-destruct if not taken care of in the next five minutes" so my lists are getting stressful these days.
ReplyDeleteI'm an obsessive list-maker, but time still manages to get away from me!
ReplyDeleteI do like lists.
ReplyDeleteI think making the lists smaller, so we can actually cross things off, give us a sense of accomplishment.
Heather
I'm a list maker. I have one for home and one for the day job. They keep me on task, but they can stress me out. I'm relieved when I can cross off a bunch of things in one day.
ReplyDeleteIt does feel good when we cross some items that we've accomplished off our list. When my kids were younger, I can remember having to peek at what I actually did that day as opposed to focusing on what I still had left to do. And there always seemed more left to do. lol
DeleteI love this post. It is lyrical and thoughtful. Time is beginning to stress my out for exactly the same reasons you describe. Thanks for sharing this with clarity and honesty. Sometimes it gets tiresome reading about how to do everything perfectly. Life is messy!
ReplyDeleteI'm a list maker, would be lost without them. But now I find I'm making lots of different themed lists because the 'to-do' list was becoming too intimidating LOL!
ReplyDeleteSuzanne
IWSG Co-host in March :)
I like the idea of lists but find them a bit constricting. Us writers are mostly at home we have to have some way of feeling like flexible free spirits ;)
ReplyDeleteI always say time is the MOST important commodity. Because it is. You can always make more money but time can never be replaced. And I feel you, wanting not to waste it, to get as much as you can out of it since it's so limited. I've struggled for a while with a full time job thinking "I could not wake up tomorrow. Why am I spending all this time doing something I don't absolutely love?" It's tough. But I think as long as you dedicate a good portion of your time to writing, at least you're on the right track. Right on!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was working at hotels in Egypt, the Europeans would always arrive and their first few days wold be spend criticizing everything. Food's not good enough, waiters too slow, drink orders are wrong, water aerobics teacher was late, etc. But a strange thing happens after a week. They relax and realize those things aren't the end of the world. By the end of two weeks, they're crying in their drinks because they don't want to leave the smiling, ever-patient good-natured staff and entertainers. Yes, things often don't come off perfectly in Egypt. Egyptians have a "meh - it's close enough" attitude. And the Europeans learn that aiming for perfection in everything just makes you insanely stressed out. So my advice is if you miss a few things on your list - or the whole list - it's not the ed of the world. Relax and enjoy life. We only have one.
ReplyDelete(I hope you got my message about my review of Gears of Brass and where I posted it.)
Hmm....thoughts on time. Well, for one it's short. But reading Lexa's comment, I'm also reminded of a quote by someone I'm sure was important. "Perfect is the enemy of good." I think it's about balancing what's important in our life, which besides sitting in front of our computers, perhaps means getting in the car and visiting people we hold dear or doing something special with our immediate family. Right now, I feel I've neglected those people. Have been cutting word count, reading straight through and it's such a burn-out. Hope you find the right balance!
ReplyDeleteI feel like I'm always racing time, too. There's never enough time to get it all done. I guess it's about prioritizing - figuring out what needs to get done first.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I'm always racing time, too. There's never enough time to get it all done. I guess it's about prioritizing - figuring out what needs to get done first.
ReplyDeleteTime is a tough one, I have to agree. I've become very good at managing it, stealing moments here and there and disciplining myself to write on the fly at a moment's notice. It isn't always easy, but I've learned to make it work. Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteSome days, I am surprised at how much productive work I can cram into a single day. But those days are usually followed by a week's worth of spinning my wheels.
ReplyDeleteUgggh, I can't even think about time. Without feeling stressed, or depressed.
ReplyDeleteI've pushed time to the limit these past few years. There are days I climb out of bed a 4AM just to have a few hours of uninterrupted writing time. Of course, by 4PM I'm dragging and have to fight to stay up until 9. I can keep up the early rising for about three days in a row, then I crash. I hear what you're saying about TIME!
ReplyDeleteI get what you mean about time, but to cut down on stress, I have a list of things I want to achieve every month. Some I get, others not, but at least I cut down on time wasted stressing about not having enough time. ;-)
ReplyDeletenice post
ReplyDeletei really love your blog
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Time is so tricky! Lately I have been feeling like I am letting time get away from me and I am trying to take control of it every day! Hope you get time under control too. :) Not easy!
ReplyDelete~Jess
time is money
ReplyDelete