“It must be Thursday. I Never Could Get the Hang of Thursdays”

Arthur Dent said it in “The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and for some reason it’s carried with me all these years.  Thursday is like the Monday of the second half of the work week.
Think about that for a bit.
Ok… aaaand we’re moving on.

What brought that on, eh?  Maybe it’s because Thursday is the day when you realize that the week is really slipping away from you.  You start the week with so many things you want to accomplish.  By Thursday you’re starting to realize that your lofty aspirations of hyper-productivity sort of went by the wayside.  This week has gone that direction for me.  I started with such high hopes for the amount of work I would complete this week.  To be fair to myself I’ve run into a couple of snags here and there.  That’s always the way it is right?  You make plans that are meant to go off flawlessly in a perfect world.  A world where you always leave on time.  Where your kids are standing at the door (shoes on) waiting instead of beating each other or strangling the cat.  Where you don’t get hung up doing unexpected work for people because you just happened to be standing near them (“I’ve got this problem with my email…”).  A world where you can work in blessed peace and quiet. 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’ve ever been to this world.  Time management is a difficult subject.  You can’t just make plans.  You have to give yourself tasks with realistic expectations as to your ability to actually complete them.  Something always comes up and you’ve got to account for that to some extent or run the risk of operating in a constant state of frustration.  This is part of where road rage comes from.  Well, that and people driving around 5mph below the speed limit with their signals on…

You know who you are.

Part of time management also includes making an effort to avoid situations (and people) that continually drain you of your precious time.  Oh there are vampires in the world.  They suck your time and energy away leaving you exhausted and feeling like you’ve literally aged while being near them.  You know them well.  They’re not bad people.  Many times they’re people you like or can at least tolerate.  This part comes down to discipline.  Sometimes you just have to tell  people you’re busy.  Lock your door.  Put up a sign.  Learn to say “No”.  You won’t permanently damage them unless by “damage” you mean “educate them to the understanding that other people have things to do too”.  You’re not being rude… Just honest.  It’s OK to be honest and not so accommodating sometimes.  In the Midwest we’re taught to be pretty accommodating.  It can be a shackle nearly as often as it is rewarding.

I did manage to get a few things done this week, time vampirism not withstanding.  I posted new prints on my ETSY page (www.ETSY.com/shop/RobReeves ) for your purchasing pleasure.  This time I’ve included our birdie-headed friend, “The Numbers Man”.  I managed to get some good work done on 2 new paintings and a charcoal.  I also had a couple of new ideas crop up that I quickly committed to my wall-sized chalkboard.  AND I helped my aunt with her cable TV.  So not an unproductive week.  Just not quite what I’d planned. 

I’m getting a “Do Not Disturb” sign for my studio and another for my forehead.  “Do Not Disturb” sounds better than “Piss off I’m busy, love Rob”. 
Then again maybe it doesn’t.

Cheers,

R