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Thread: Time

  1. #1
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    Time

    I am in a “time in a bottle” phase right now. The line “there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do once you find them” keeps playing in the back of my head.

    i am trying to look at my days in terms of getting the big rocks in first.

    i am struggling with urgent vs. important.

    today -
    teaching will take most of my “big rock” spaces.
    Disbudding the little girl goat is both urgent and important.
    i am out of chicken feed. And gasoline.
    the 4h boy is coming this evening. (Probably)

    i got 6 hours of interrupted sleep last night, so I have been moving slowly - coffee, clothes, reading, but I need to accelerate now.

  2. #2
    Senior Member flowerseverywhere's Avatar
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    We can’t invent more time, but between work and your property, house and animals it is indeed a juggling act.

    I have no no hints on how to juggle it all, but just want to encourage you to stop and “smell the roses” along the way. At the end of the day the sun will set, and rise the next day so just do your best and know in a few days the weekend will be here.

  3. #3
    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    I've started using a bullet journal, and of all the many time management systems I've tried--both paper and online--this is working the best for me.

    I can time-block any way that suits me. So, I typically create my daily page first thing in the morning. I'm not constrained by a pre-printed format. So after I write the hours of the day down the left side of the page, I draw blocks of time and assign them their "task"--I liken it to packing a suitcase. These time blocks can be intense/work-related, errands that need to be run, or they can be "go for a walk" or "read outside on the lounge chair". Actually writing it down gives me focus, otherwise, I'm prone to just spinning wheels doing exactly what I'm doing now--spending too much time on the internet.

    On the page I capture other things: what I spend money on (I do have an on-line tracker for that, but I like to scribble it down so I don't forget to input it). I also put notes of what I did and how it made me feel "Went to GS birthday party ".

    It's worked really well for me. I use the kind of notebook with the little dots rather than lined or blank pages. Again, it's a "soft guide."

    CL, I ditto what flowerseverywhere said: You seem to be the type of person who feels guilty having the second cup of coffee because of your long to-do list. But don't! Things get done, one thing at a time. There's no other way.

    Here's an article I bookmarked YEARS ago (can't believe I was able to find it) because I like the author's approach to being busy.

    http://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/budd...eing-busy.aspx
    "Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
    www.silententry.wordpress.com

  4. #4
    Senior Member razz's Avatar
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    Is time your master or servant is what I ask myself, and often. I adjust my schedule accordingly and my commitments. Is this easy to do, no, but I am in charge and accept that responsibility. Don't know if that thought helps or is just irritating.
    As Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.”

  5. #5
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Today I am preparing iris stalks for a show. Show time is always frenzied because I have to cram a lot of preparation into a couple of hours.

    I used to take 20-25 stems to a show. Many of them were not blue ribbon quality but they were so damned pretty! I wanted to show them off! This took so much time to prepare!

    But now that Iam more experienced, I have a general idea of how many stalks I want to take. Today, I wish to take 12 good tall bearded iris and then whatever good quality entries I have in other classes. I learned to let go of the regret that I had when i couldnt take so many cultivars to the show. It just doesnt matter! I am at the show to support the iris society, participate in a good competition, and show good iris to their best advantage. It is about quality, not quantity.

  6. #6
    Senior Member Teacher Terry's Avatar
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    When I was raising my kids I was super busy but luckily I was also young.Now my life is super chill. I often decide once I get up what I am doing that day. Of course if I am meeting someone then I need to plan. Monday a good friend of mine called and he asked did I want to walk our dogs together and then sit outside and talk. I was grading but said yes as I can always do it later. So I would just juggle the best you can and realize things will always be undone. Once you retire you will have all the time in the world for your hobbies and little farm.

  7. #7
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    My job is one of my hobbies. The roses are some of the things I work to fit in (I don’t feel guilty about the second cup of coffee, but I get angry about the stuff I don’t see value in.)

    i started the bullet journal thing, and I liked it, but I ended up doing a lot of writing in it and then I don’t have tim3 to write in it.... I keep my “to do” list in notes. I have a “note” for each day and I delete stuff and then cut and paste whatever is left onto the next day.

    i liked the article very much. I honestly have a similar approach in practice, I just get annoyed that I can’t do all the things. Is it acceptance if you realize it is what it is and you can’t change it, but you still don’t like it? I would say time is my servant but I would prefer a slave.

    today I was collateral damage at work. It was exhausting. And stressful. I went to my boss and had her help me so I could handle the essentials, and she did. But I asked only for the minimum help I needed. I’m not sure what is going to happen with the person who threw me under the bus. I don’t think she meant to (hence the “collateral”)

    the 4h kid was an hour and a half late, so I “ignored” him. He managed ok without me, so I will ignore him from now on unless it is convenient not to. As in, I am not going to worry about being home when he comes tomorrow.

    off to do more things.

  8. #8
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    I am not sure how I ever did it when my kids were younger, I think my job has grown exponentially over the last 2 years for one thing. But still, wow it was a lot!

    Now I get torn between my hobby/business of crochet and the rest of life. I am also moving and that is a big project, like super big! At work I am working on being more humble about things and accepting help. I have no idea what most help looks like, and there are times when I really honestly ask and the answer is no. So that is a challenge.

    I don't have any advice, except to recognize life is a lot messier than we want and it is the nature of life to be messy. We can put in systems and accountability and a lot of things, and life is going to be messy.

  9. #9
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    The thing about my todo list is that it has been largely purged of “shoulds” but is still over full of “musts” and “want tos” (“must” get gas on the way to work, “ want to” finish 13 plates for saturday’s sale...)

  10. #10
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    Sorry for the many choppy posts. I am popping in between other activities.

    tomorrow’s big things are:
    work - unload kiln, reload kiln, fire kiln, sub for two morning classes, fundraiser at lunch time, break, teach one afternoon class
    pottery- possibly go down to studio to glaze, definitely prep for saturday’s sale.

    morning will have chores, making breakfast, packing lunch, and many small tasks to make the rest of the day go well. I get to skip dinner tomorrow.

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