use time wisely – Stephanie Richey Art

I admire those people who have a few interests that consume most of their time. Who are content with doing the same things over and over again and find real peace and joy in doing so. I am not one of those people. I find myself thinking of so many things, so many possibilities, wanting to go this way and that way. The problem with that though, is it’s hard to settle in on one thing or another for long enough to really make it work.

I recently had an idea about using my books and creating some digital downloads that went along with them. But I’m also working on my Etsy shop, and I have another video to film and edit for YouTube. I also have 2 more weeks of teaching Seminary this school year, and we have some fun things planned that require some time ahead of those particular classes for preparation. I need to practice the piano, just because, and my paintings, well, that’s where I relax, when I have the time to paint. That’s one though, that I usually make time for at least every couple of days if not every day. I have a 5K race to finish planning and prepping for, and upcoming bazaars to plan for as well as shops to get my stuff in ahead of the upcoming tourist season.

Some days it’s hard to focus. But over the years I have learned how to do that a lot better than I used to. I have written about some of these ideas in past posts, but I’ll just share a few of the general ideas that help me to focus on a daily basis and link to the previous articles along the way.

Developing a list of priorities is key for me. Every big decision I make for my time and how I use it runs through my priorities. I don’t conscientiously think about my priority list when I have smaller decisions to make, at least not anymore. I used to quite a bit, but when you do something long enough, it becomes a habit which makes decision making a lot quicker and easier.

Setting clear goals makes a huge difference in utilizing my time well each day. I find when I don’t have something I’m aiming for or trying to achieve, I tend to be more flitty from one tasks to the next, and don’t complete the tasks as well or in a timely manner, and sometimes not at all. But when I have clear direction, I can move forward with more purpose and find that I get more accomplished in less time.

Being able to measure my progress makes a difference as well. I love taking progress photos of my art. Sometimes I share them, sometimes not, but for me I can see where I started, and then how I got to the finished painting. But it works the same way with cleaning my house, getting my prints made and packaged, developing new products, practicing a piece of music until I have it down, whatever it is, seeing the progress makes it easier to stay on task and get jobs done rather than half done and then moving on.

It’s interesting how each one of us is wired so differently. If you enjoy sitting on the porch for hours, there’s nothing wrong with that. If you like to go go go, there’s nothing wrong with that, and if you mind is constantly abuzz with new ideas and possibilities like mine is, well that’s alright. But overload and overwhelm don’t have to take over when we have clear objectives in mind and a plan to get there. I am grateful for what I have learned over the years to help me focus and accomplish, I want to say more, but it’s not more, just accomplish what I have determined to be important in my life.

You may notice that time and how busy we have been, has been on my mind quite a bit lately. Today is no exception. As I have been sitting at my computer this morning editing a new YouTube video my alarm has been going off reminding me to write my blog post. I have a couple of pictures that need to be edited, and we are in the middle of putting up wood for the winter, which is our one and only source of heat. Last night I missed a dinner with my youngest son who is in Anchorage for his school orientation week. It was an evening for parents to come and learn more about what the kids were doing, eat dinner, and enjoy some entertainment, which my son told me was a native dance presentation. It would have been a fun evening, but we were out cutting wood and completely spaced it out until it was too late to try and make it.

Time is an interesting thing. We often think of money as being the reason we do things, and often it is the reason. We work and work trying to make enough money so that we don’t have to work so hard later, but in the meantime, we miss out on the time that is slipping away with those things that matter more than making money, money only has the value that society places on it. It’s just paper. But time is the one thing we are all given to utilize however we so choose, and it is the one thing that seems to be wasted the most. Sometimes I look back at my life years ago. I would think it would be nice to do this or that but think of the time commitment and decided that the several years it would take me to accomplish whatever it was, was too long so I wouldn’t even start! I am now on the flip side of that, not having progressed in some areas of my life like I could have. looking back at that time, which really wasn’t that long, and wondering what I had accomplished instead, because it could have been so much more if I had utilized my time more wisely.

It really is interesting how the passing of time changes our priorities though. I love my life now. I have had so many adventures, challenges, ups and downs. And through it all I have learned a lot about what is important to me. When I was younger it had a lot more to do with money and stuff. I thought money and stuff would bring happiness and ease. I have learned that is not always the case. Our paycheck doesn’t guarantee anything, especially not happiness, and depending on how we spend it, it may not create ease either.

Over the years my goals have shifted away from money and stuff and turned more inward, to family and relationships, peace of mind and heart, memories, especially the kind that don’t cost money, they are usually the best kind anyway. These things don’t require anything more than time for the most part, but they are the things I look forward to the most. As my kids are starting to leave home, the memories are sweeter, and when they come home to visit, the laughter deeper. Most of my kids are still home, but they are not little anymore, they don’t spend as much time at home, and will be leaving sooner than later. I want to utilize the time we have more wisely, which involves more time not money. Last night as most of us worked together on cutting wood we missed the ones who weren’t there, not just for the help, but the fun involved. We laughed together, and maybe got a little carried away with the spray paint, but we spent time, and we made memories.

I love the quote at the top. Our time here is priceless and spending it going down one path means we won’t be going down a different path. We don’t have enough time to do everything in this wonderful world that we would probably like to do, so we need to look at our priorities, look at what’s really important to us, and then utilize the time we have here to accomplish those things. We should get to the end of our lives having utilized our time wisely, because we can never get it back.