Managing priorities

Does it seem that the sewing machine sits there not doing anything for large quantities of time? 

Does it feel like quilting and art takes a back seat to many other pressing needs life throws at you?

Do you find that time just slips through your fingers? 

And it disappears so fast?  

I find that too.  Some days seem to come and go and I don’t seem to have completed or progressed through anything in my art studio. Many blogs and business posts present a rosy ideal of being in the studio everyday no matter what and suggest that if you don’t do that somehow you aren’t a serious artist and you don’t put enough of a priority on your work.  But I find there are so many pressing needs on my time that sometimes my art work has to take a back seat for a day or a wee while.  Life has many important parts to it.  Many times things that we want to come first have to take a back seat to other more pressing needs.  I think this is perfectly O.K because that is just life.  I know that I am serious about my work and that is all that matters. 

Many years ago I watched an episode of Oprah Winfrey on time management.  She suggested that it is a good idea to write a yes list every 3-6 months.  On the yes list goes 6 important things in your life that need to come first.  At the time my list looked like this

1.        Looking after me

2.       Looking after my family

3.       Visiting my aging grandmother

4.       Serving in the church

5.       Gardens

6.       Extended family

She suggested that every time something new came up in the calendar to refer to this list and check the activity against it and ask yourself does this activity/event fit into this list if it does excellent go ahead and say yes, if it doesn’t politely decline.   I have found it a very effective way of managing my time productively.  

Now on my list artwork is one of my priorities but I know the things ahead of the list like my family and my health have to come first sometimes and that is O.K.