Since Time Is Flying, Shouldn't I Be Having More Fun?

Can you believe that it is already the middle of May?  I can't help but wonder where the time is going.  There is so much I want to do, yet I am barely done with the need to do's and the day is gone.  So, I keep reminding myself that time management is getting critical here.  Some things I want to do take only a minute or two, yet they get put off for ridiculous reasons.  For instance, remember the painted sun face sculpture I had in the last blog?  Well, it didn't look exactly as I wanted, and it needed repainting.  Spray paint is amazing and only took about 30 seconds with an hour's dry to touch.  The purple overlay took just a little longer, as a quick nearly-dry brushing. Then, my little engraved "Blessings" stone wanted to be gilded.  That took about 5 seconds for each of the two adhesive coats smeared on with my finger, and another 5 seconds to rub the gold foil on and peel off.  It took me longer to wash my hands!

So what is the real problem here?  Could it be that the real issue is gathering my energetic forces and focusing my mind on just being creative for a shorter period of time that I would like to have?  Really, when I get into creating, I hate having a timer on me.  Years ago when I was sewing show garments for the Burda Pattern Company, that is exactly what I did.  I analyzed each step of the creation and gave myself a time frame to finish.  I knew exactly how many minutes I needed to do everything from cutting to buttonholes, and I kept myself on schedule.  Back then, I had big blocks of time, now my day is broken up with just about everything you can imagine.  Some days, I'd like to hang a sign around my neck that says: "I am not available today, and if you ask for anything I'll bite."

With so many things that challenge us all these days, it is very easy to be in a constant state of distraction.  I often look back on the days when my sons were small, and it seems like I was superhuman.  There is a sense of wonderment at how the daily chores of cooking, cleaning, sewing, gardening, crafting of all sorts, raising puppies, visiting with friends, shopping, entertaining, etc., etc., ...all this got done with ease.  I had an intense focus on each pursuit.  Now, it seems everything wants to crush in and fragment that focus. 

...Does this dialogue seem to be going somewhere to you?  Well, when I write like this, which I refer to as "complaining to my best friend," I often find the answers upon re-reading what I have written.  The "best friend" is the little voice that resides inside my head and is always making comments in response to input.  Silly me, the answer is right there in front of me.  ...I am letting too many concerns trouble my mind from waking to sleeping!  And along with that is time management.  Does it seem as if clearing my mind will allow the rest to follow?  ...The mental focus needed to accomplish a task as well as the energy to carry it through?  Think of how much mental energy is spent on too much thinking and how it could be used for each and every thing we want to do.

I am not trying to sell this person's book, but after a quick Google on "how to get focused", I found this page.  There are some interesting points about the science of focus.  For one thing, distraction leads to boredom!  Well, who would have known!  Yes, I can agree with this.  When I am too distracted to start a project, I start to pace, and I recognize this behavior as a way to alleviate boredom.  That article even mentions pacing!  Science recommends that we do one important thing every day.  How great an idea is this?!!!  I would so love to list something new and important for every day of my life.  It is apparently very important to have focus cues (like creating blinders with your hands), and clear away clutter.  After all, clutter is very distracting by its very nature.  Those who claim to "know" recommend getting rid of it any way you can, even if it means pushing it all into a box to get it out of sight.  Well, I have to admit, I would need a whole lot of boxes and it would be much better to get rid of it, a monumental task.  But, there is no time like NOW to get started!