3.5 Focal Points

I have a couple of new beginnings in my life right now: a new contract job and part-time graduate school. Time management is sometimes a big challenge for me: I want to take on too many activities, then I become overwhelmed and end up scrapping some of my projects.

This time around I decided to pare down the things that are important to me. Three and a half things is the number I've chosen to work with, especially after reading Ev Bogue's blog post Triangular Focus. I couldn't quite bring myself to stick with three, and four seemed like too much. So, why not 3.5?

Here they are:

• Work--leaving old job this week and expecting a relatively steep learning curve on the new one.
• School--two online courses in Information Science at the graduate level.
• Health--taking better care of my health and maintaining good health for my furry child, Justi. (See below.)  For both of us, it means regular exercise, adequate sleep, and eating well. Justi will help with maintaining perspective and balance:)

And my half-focal point? Creative pursuits and projects. At first, I winced at the idea of having a half-focal point, especially one that involved my writing and art projects. But I've come to realize that, right now, I need to provide myself with the livelihood that will give me the most freedom, ultimately. 

Yes, the half-focal point is a compromise, but it will also provide me with the incentive to make the best of the time I devote to creative work. And maybe-just-maybe, I'll make the time to do the work more meaningful in this way.

Next comes scheduling for the  big 3.5. I'll be using Google calendar and maybe some pie charts to help me visually understand where my time should be going. After all, when you take away all the physical and mental clutter, all we have is time...and each other.