Howdy strangers.
I've been reading Getchen Rubin's The Happiness Project. In the book she feels a subtle discontent and makes it a project to increase her happiness. Reading her words inspired me to think both about happiness and about projects. Fancy that. Being happier was just one of Gretchen's projects. I'm pretty happy but there is always room for growth, and I often have too many projects. Many of us have too many projects. Our next door neighbor has decades of uncompleted automotive, house and garden projects.
My parents always told me I could do anything I set my mind to. I guess the secret of life over 50 is that I might not be able to do everything I set my mind to. At least not all at once. And the corollary is that I believe that the only time I'm not happy, is when I have so much to do that I can't do my best work at anything. Part of my own happiness project will have to entail renewing some time management boundaries. Subtitled: how to be a high achieving productive person without losing your mind and yelling at your kids and your husband.
On the train from Paris to Amsterdam I decided to sort my life into projects. My idea was that by sorting and labeling my tasks into projects I could stay more aware of my current commitments. I could set a limit to how much I have going on at any given time by project. I decided to limit my projects to six. You can think about these things when you are up at 3:45 a.m. with jet lag.
I've recently crossed off the following projects:
- a year in the studio
- downstairs floor refinished and walls painted
- graduation and graduation party and all things end of school year for two children
- Red Pines Chamber Music Festival at my house
- two week trip to Europe with family
- spring yard work
- church choir accompanist obligations
- summer family life including cabin food, college dorm stuff procurement. . . daily bread and laundry
- MacPhail Suzuki Institute including lessons plans, teacher talk, and faculty recital prep
- Paul's mini camp at our house in July--hospitality and food prep
- SAA conference piano planning for 2020 and 2022--helping secure clinicians and sessions
- SAM graduation planning for 2020 including web updates, registration tool and delegating the jobs
- studio planning for 2019-2020 including chamber music, recitals, group lessons and guest clinicians
When one or more of those projects are complete the future projects are:
- updating and pursuing personal performing, reading and writing goals
- more teacher training
- writing my book about teaching, parenting, music and faith--a day book of 365 wise entries to inspire and delight. . .
- starting a vlog--a video blog about piano pedagogy with other snippets of my life interests
Some of the projects are long term, like the French repairing Notre Dame. To me, these are family life, studio planning and personal goals. One of my bigger projects, the church accompanying job, has come to a close. I'm taking a break from that.
Only six projects. Only six projects. Repeat after me. . .
The next step is to plug the projects into the year at a glance page in my notebook, which current pop culture calls a bullet journal. Some of us were country when country wasn't cool. I have drawers of ancient used up bullet journals. You want to know what I served for Christmas dinner 2012? I can look that up. And it's not in an app. Think of the fame and fortune I could have had if I shared the original bullet journal system.
I digress. . . putting the projects into the year at a glance will help me to plan the year so that I have fewer pinch points. This visual also gives me a clear path to say no, to new projects and requests, when my project quota is already full.
In a round about way, sorting my life into projects is my happiness project. Thanks Gretchin for the variation on your theme. I'm only half way through your book but already inspired. She also has a blog and a vlog and a podcast--check them out. You might come up with your own happiness project.
I admire your ability to wrap your head around list and project organization. It's become tougher and tougher for me to do that! I honestly believe that it is due to the job situation I've had over the past five or six years, but who knows.
ReplyDeleteSara, Every time I sit down to get it ALL together by making lists, file folders, check-off sheets, etc., so that everything is in it's place, it is all I can do not to jump up and "real quick" fill the pretty empty lotion jar that has been empty for 9 months that I pass on my way to the bathroom, look out a window and decide take a break outside to pull a few weeds (and then not come back in for two hours), replace the lightbulb when I switch on the bathroom light... Seriously, a trip to the bathroom and it's all over!
And if I can manage getting through visual distractions, I see something on a current list I'm making, stop the process and "real quick" get the stupid five minute thing that's on the list DONE, because I can't stand huge long lists. I mean it's the law of diminishing returns. I'm never going to get to item 20!
Gasp! Just this second, I entered an extremely rare period of self-awareness in which I noticed that I am supposed to, once and for all, be compiling my lists during this time, but went to email "real quick" to print the new car insurance cards, saw your blog, and here I am. Sigh.
My second theory is that I only have a certain amount of focus and self-discipline per calendar year, and I used it all up Jan. - May. Now I just want to do what I feel like doing. And I just glanced up from the mudroom window and it looks so beautiful outside in the woods. Dying to go out there and weed the garden border to them. This is why I had to be at your house to get my business stuff done on Monday! We'll see what I do next ... :-)
Love you, love you!