All of us have the same amount of time in our days. We make different choices about how to spend our days based on our circumstances, our commitments and our values. Some of us have day jobs. Some have kids at home. All of us a choosing what will and won’t do.

One of the important lessons I have learned is that we must choose and even a failure to choose is a choice. I have also learned that I can’t do everything. There are many things that interest me but I choose not to do them. Instead I have opted to do a few things well (or better anyway).

Every day I get up at 4:00 am and go to work in my studio. The reason I choose to get up so early is not simple and I didn’t arrive at it easily. It is true that I have always been an early riser. I used to get up early (as in 6:00 am) to read. I liked sitting alone in my living room with my coffee and a good book. When Gary retired he decided to join me. I came to like the time I shared with him. Often we sat companionably for an hour or so without speaking. At other times we engaged in interesting discussions.

In my training to be a creativity coach I learned that we are all more creative during time just after waking. I began to think about how I could take advantage of that “nether” period. I didn’t want to miss out on my time with Gary so the only option seemed to be to get up earlier. I taught myself to wake up at 4:00 am without an alarm and I asked Gary if he would be willing to stay in bed until 7:00 am.

This has worked out well for us. However, my goal is to work for six hours a day. Squeezing the remaining three hours into or out of my day has been a challenge. I began to think ways to be more efficient throughout my days. I began to use small bits of time more effectively.

Many years ago I bought a book called “10, 20 30 Minutes to Sew” by Nancy Ziemann. I never actually read the book, but I remembered the title. I began to organize myself so that I can take advantage of small bits of time throughout my day. The first thing I did was to begin to organize my morning work before leaving the studio. That saved a lot of early morning procrastination time. I also began to put projects in various spots in my house where I often sit. I also made a commitment to not doing hand stitching in my studio. I do it in front of the TV or in the living room.

I also made a new plan for my daily reading. Reading is one of the ways that I distract myself from my work. It is also important to me to read daily. I now only read after my studio time and before bed.

Like all of you I have many things to do every day. It is important to me to meet my responsibilities. I choose carefully what I will do and I try to stay fully present for all the things I choose. I also make my own work matter enough to put it first.

© C O P Y R I G H T   2 0 0 8.  Mary Sullivan Holdgrafer ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.