We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Program

I can get quite frustrated with all I have to do and feeling like there is not enough time in a day.  Often, I'll spend hours working on a project and then other things get neglected.  To be honest, I'm frustrated with myself at some level almost every day.

I know in the next year there are a few things happening that will add even more to my plate and I was feeling like I had to let a few things I love fall by the wayside.  Dan helped me a bit yesterday as I was expressing that frustration to him.

He suggested that I come up with a daily schedule with a beginning and end time for each project.  So rather than get so engrossed in jam-making or sewing or writing to the detriment of all else in my life, I should settle on a time each day to work on these projects.  Then when the time is up, put down my pen, sewing machine or whatever tool I'm using and move on to the next thing.  By working on it each day, it will still get done but so will other things in my life.

I'm also realizing that much of my stress is due to my own "leaping before I look" way of handling life.  Someone will suggest I participate in something and it sounds great so I say, "Yes." without thinking through how much time something will take or what else will have to give in my life.  

I know some of you are thinking, "That is obvious."  But I've always struggled with this "all or nothing" thing.  I plunge into projects and everything else fades away.  I forget about housecleaning, meals, husband, children, and all else.  So this may be a way to alleviate the stress that happens from doing that.

I've also participated in a local street market for the past two Fridays and have had a few sales.  But again, as I evaluate this activity, I'm not sure it's worth it.  The market is four hours plus about another hour for set-up and clean-up.  The most I've made in an evening is $40 but I'm selling all the items that are already carried in the café I'm in front of, so feasibly people could walk in there to purchase it.  That is also five hours of my time that could be spent in other ways.

I don't want to go blindly through my life at the mercy of "doing," so I do want to regularly evaluate these things.  I sat down and made up a rough schedule and now the key is to stick with it.

I'm back to my theme for the year, "Intentional Living."  It seems to be a lesson I'm continually learning.