Saturday, July 07, 2007

Out of Control?

These days my time seems to be out of control. This is probably because I'm in the throes of moving house, which eats time more assiduously than any other activity in my life. Even now I'm surrounded by freshly written labels for binbags - sheets, washing basket clothes, tea towels, spare duvets - and stacks of book boxes as far as the eye can see (which is admittedly not very far, due to said stacks) ...

The worst thing emerging from all this organised chaos is that I'm finding less time and energy is available each day for updating my many blogs and websites, or for posting on my favourite forums.

Some people might think this a blissful state of affairs. Down with the internet! Abolish the forum! But cruising online is an activity I find both relaxing and exciting, so I'm really missing my daily 1 - 3 hour fix of blogging and interneting. Instead I'm having to make do with this miserly thirty minute stretch of updating every day. Pitiful! Pathetic!

How do I manage even this, though? Well, a few years ago I learnt that time management depends on one simple thing above all others, which is only touching a piece of paper (real or cyber-sent) once. When I get an email or letter which requires me to take some sort of action, I either immmediately act on it or, if I can't act on it straightaway (because it's connected to an event a few months ahead, for instance), I make a note in my calendar to act on it at the appropriate time. Then I promptly forget all about it.

That frees up my time to concentrate on what I actually want to do. Which is writing ...

And this is where my great time management skills begin to break down and fall apart, because there simply isn't any way round the business of moving house.

I'm going to take a break from blogging after next week, right across the board on all my blogs, but will be back in operation around the start of August. Some advance warning there, so you'll know I haven't died but am just 'resting'. Between blog posts.

Mmm. I'm looking forward to that.

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