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MORE ON TIME

© Barbara Massie

"There never seems to be enough time to get everything done." How many people have you heard say that? Thinking about controlling time and your work, then putting a plan into action will allow you to get more done.

TO TAKE CONTROL:

Make a list of three projects that are highest priority. Did you work on any of these today or were you too busy? Refer to your project list to make sure you tackle the most important task first to reach your goals. Realize that you can do anything you want, but you can't do everything. The key is to be selective.

Follow through! Don't get sidetracked or make excuses not to finish when working on one of your goals. If your excuses are valid, reassess your goal - it might not be important to you now. Interruptions by outside forces can sidetrack you, so you must stay in control.

Remind yourself that you want to control your time and that you're working hard to not let interruptions sidetrack you. Tell friends, and family that you're keeping regular business hours. Let them know you will be returning your calls at such and such a time each day. They will get the hint that you will not be calling "just to chat" during your business hours.

Whenever possible , start a second project only after the first is finished. Finish what you start. You won't have projects half done and on your mind to get back to, you'll keep moving forward.

Another side of this can be having several craft projects in the works at one time. Making projects in stages will allow you to paint one project while the glue dries on another.

SIMPLIFY

The simpler you can make a project, the easier it will be to handle. Think in terms of groupings. Group together the parts of your project that are similar. Your thinking will be set by that group and can be kept at that level until you finish the group. Jumping from part of a group to part of another group might jumble your mind, waste time and cause you to procrastinate.

ENERGY LEVELS vary per person. Work when you have the most energy. I'm a morning person. I love to get up at 4:30 in the morning to write. That is when I feel most productive. I have a son who needs little sleep; he works until 2:30 in the morning, then sleeps for five hours before starting his day. When are you the most energetic?