Fritter-free Zone

Clocks. Timers. Schedules. I use them all in an effort to be productive and stay focused. Which, if any, work? It depends on the day and on my frame of mind at any given time. Somedays it seems like I fritter away hours and... am I content to do that? "No!  I'm not", the answer is a simple one. Where does the time go? Usually it's time wasted surfing on my laptop... hours upon hours can be frittered away there, I'm aware. Time management strategies are one of those things I obssess about. My latest trick for making the most of my time is this: to have at least one thing, something concrete and tangible that will account for  how my hours have been spent that day. It could be a quilt block or two, some embroidery, quilting, a clean house, freshly ironed clothes, anything that qualifies as a "thing". Computer time doesn't count. I've taken to setting a five minute timer which allows me to harvest my e-mail, make quick responses if necessary, and hop back onto the task at hand; I do this a couple of times a day, even composing blog posts in this fashion. I'm human though, I don't always respond immediately to the beeper! Sometimes I may linger a bit longer; but, I am completely in control and have heightened awareness of the ticking clock using this tool.  It works for me. I am amazed at the success of this simple plan, little bits of time are enough to accomplish quite a lot.  I'm enjoying the peace of mind that is derived from my self-designated fritter-free zone!  The best part? What makes it all worthwhile? The daily show and tell!

Life is Good!