Time Management | Damien Spencer Studios

Giving Tree by Damien Spencer

Over the years I have been plagued with time management. The struggle has not only been how do I organize my life, but also how do I execute my day. One thing I am excellent in doing is making lists and setting goals. I can spend all day creating list of lists that I have to do. The issue is once I start writing down all my goals and then trying to schedule a typical day out I fall short of hours, will be required to hurt peoples feelings but telling them I can not schedule them into my day, and I realize if I don’t run a tight ship there is no way it could happen. Well it never happens. I can schedule my day out and make it the most efficient time management program in the world but actually waking up in the morning and following it. Yeah right.

I wake up tell myself that I am already I am going to follow my schedule to the “T” and I going to get…damn it. The phone is ringing, I didn’t schedule that in, do I answer it? Okay now that I answered the phone I am only 10 minutes behind. There will be no more distractions. Oh no my girlfriends is asking me to help here with her day, do I tell her to get stuffed or just help her? Well I guess telling her to get stuffed was a bad idea, now I am hour behind cause we got in a argument and I ended up helping her anyways. Now she is out the door and off to work i can get back to….damn phone again?!?!?!? Okay now I am only 1.5 hours behind and have 2 others things I have to do today! Guess I can drop some stuff from my schedule and make it up later that will give me more….REALLY THE PHONE AGAIN?!?!?!?!? Okay I am 2 hours in and have an additional 5 things to do today I didn’t expect and I can’t think straight cause I need to eat. OMG, does this phone ever stop ringing? Okay so my GF needs me to do some stuff for her today I am about 2.5 hours behind and I need to start cooking so I can eat soon. Dang the kitchen is a mess I better clean it up first.

Two hours later I did the dishes, cleaned up, and answered the phone 2 more times. Now I can start cooking so I can eat and finish my tight schedule I have already had to reschedule 2 times. What am I doing? I don’t have time to get my schedule done I 5 unexpected things that came up and I am 4 hours behind. I will just start my new life tomorrow, you know the new life where I can complete all the things I want and need to get done in a day. Hold on it is the phone again. Never mind it will have to wait a couple days an emergency came up at my job and I don’t know how long it will take me to fix it. Well I did 2 of the 50 things on my list, oh wait I had to add 5 more to it so I did -3 things on my list today. I am exhausted and I fell backwards on my list. How is Time Management suppose to work.

Time Management is not for me. Maybe I should live in the moment instead. Of coarse that would require me to tell everyone to get stuffed.

Today’s list of things to do that will never get done:

Housework

Clean Kitchen

Do dishes, after every meal also
Clean surfaces (counters, stove, etc.)
Sweep Floor
Take out Trash and Compost (this includes maintaining)

Clean dinning room

clean off table (it is where everything gets dumped when people enter the door)
Sweep floors

Clean Livingroom

Pick up
Sweep Floors
Water Plants

Cook Meals

Breakfast
Snacks
Lunch
Dinner

Work

Go to Part time Job #1

Try to find leaks (impossible)
Do daily task list at work (just as long as this list)
communicate with everyone what I am doing (can be 1 hour to 2 hours of e-mails and phone calls)

Go to part time job # 2

See part time job #1 but only once a week instead of 5 times a week and a much shorter to do list

Run Business

Make phone calls
Have meetings
Work on websites, ads, menus, for clients (always running behind schedule)
Fix computers
Work on my own websites and products (usually never get this far)
Take pictures
Frame pictures
Post pictures for sale
Advertise

Work on Hobbies

Blog on one of 3 blog sites
Read
Write books, screenplays, etc.
Paint
Design Video Game

Health

workout
work on meal plan
take shower
Get ready for day and get ready for bed

This is just a sample list – pretty much the same as real list but real list also includes stuff that i have currently given up on. For example:

Work on car and truck
Work on yard
Plant a garden
Clean storage
Work on House
- put down floors in every room
  - wood
  - tile
  - stone
- Plumb in bathtub
- Finish addition to the front of the house so we can have a front door
- replace fireplace
- Get firewood so I can have heat
Work on long list of stuff to do for other people
- Girlfriend’s list
- Girlfriend’s Mother’s list
- Dad’s List
- Neighbor’s lists

I know I am missing a bunch more. Oh like the other 4 rooms and closets that need to be cleaned in the house. Spending time watching Movies with girl friend, putting girlfriend to bed, and rubbing girl friend down each night. I forgot the pet’s list too which includes feeding, playing with, and constant petting. How many hours are in a day? Notice that sleep wasn’t on my list. =)

Anonymous

I just thought of like 30 more things to add to this list. Will it ever end? Just so you all know this post is basically me venting that there is not enough time for me to do everything I need to do.
David Jacobs

Lists can fail you and life is about adapting. I don’t envy your situation but feeling good about the things you do get done is equally important. Last thing, I know you hate the phone calls, but I never get phone calls and will catch myself sometime staring at my phone wishing to hear from someone, anyone. So quit your bitching, people love you.
Katie :)

We always put too much demand on ourselves. Life is meant to be enjoyed. No matter what, there will never ever be enough time in one day to achieve the high expectations we set on ourselves. Life will be over before we know it, this is only the beginning. Lists are helpful but like David said, feel good about what you did achieve and pat yourself on the back instead of knocking yourself for the things you couldn’t cross off your list. Enjoy your amazing girlfriend, dogs and friends. Enjoy the simple moments that always give us a reality check like the day you drove through the clouds of heaven just to get home. I too am working on this and always will. Easier said than done, I know. We are only human, we can only do so much. Good luck!
Yellowtaffy

Now I understand why I never get to talk to you…love you!
http://jemezphere.com/ Shelly Medlin

LOL! poor man. I have to tell you that if you do all of the maintenance chores at the time they crop up you will stop the extra work it takes to get yourself fed. One simple trick is to start with the kitchen sink, Hot water, soap. Do this dishes as they are dirtied. don’t wait for more than one takes a second. wipe counters as soon as you finish chopping the veggies, takes a second. set the table one place at a time, while you are waiting to stir the food takes a second. Call the “guest” to get his or her drink. takes that chore off the list, by the time that is done you will have time to set an other place. two steps back to stir the food. While its nice to put food on serving dishes, it saves effort and time to plate it up as the food is done at the stove. Put the pan in the hot sudsy water, it will wait for you and soak, making scrubbing the pot obsolete. It also saves time washing dishes. Invite eaters to police their own dishes and flatware. You just saved an hour.
http://DamienSpencer.com Damien Spencer

You are right. We have to manage our time whether it is a whole day or a few seconds. Planning ahead or doing things through experience lets you modify your plans to be more efficient.