As I travel around the country and meet so many great new friends, I’m often asked, ‘how do I get so much done?’, often followed by – ‘do I ever sleep?’ The quick answer is that I’m very organized, and yes, I LOVE to sleep! I wouldn’t have the energy to do as much as I do if I didn’t get my rest. But what I don’t do is waste a lot of time, or watch much TV.
Yes, I’m human like everyone else, and can get caught in the time-suck that is the internet. I can also get bogged down if I’m having an off day, or if I succumb to the social-media-comparison trap. But my desires to succeed in my business outweigh my desire to worry too much about what other people are doing, so I pretty much set daily/weekly/monthly goals for myself and try to stick to them as much as possible.
Being efficient – taking a trail walk with my husband and son to shoot some styled photography of my quilts. It’s an example of family time, exercise, and work all rolled into one!
I think of it this way – quilting is my job and even though I think it’s the best job, I still treat it as my job, with work to be done on a daily basis, and larger projects that are spread out over a longer period of time. When I used to work as an accountant, no one ever wondered how I managed to complete my audits on time, or marveled at how many tax returns I was able to do during tax season. (Of course maybe if they had, perhaps I would have never left! Just kidding!!)
I will admit to having more ideas and things to accomplish than I’ll ever be able to do in my lifetime, but it is still fun to dream about getting them done…. someday. When I’m on a super tight time crunch like when writing a book, I’ll certainly slow down in other areas, such as blogging. I went from blogging almost daily in 2012 to about once a week at my busiest in 2015. Now I’m keeping up with a manageable schedule of about 2-3 times per week, with no pressure to stay on a strict schedule.
This year I probably said yes to travel too many times. Once I realized I was over doing it though, I slowed the pace by raising my teaching fees and only booking one event per month for 2018 and beyond. I certainly don’t want to do too much and experience burnout, so I’ve been much more careful about what I say yes to now.
I’ll end with an answer to another often asked question – ‘how do you achieve work/life balance?’ My answer is that my work is a part of my life, just like anyone else’s job is a part of theirs. If I didn’t enjoy quilting so much, I wouldn’t be doing it in all of my “free” time. 🙂
Christa Quilts 
Great post. I have gotten sucked into the time waster hole however I am sitting with hubs. He got me a dog and unfortunately that really changed life and priorities. I did have a job both as HR manager and accounting so I,too,like to prioritize. I chose “simplify” as my 2017 word because I was saying yes too much. As we age, I felt hubs was my new need to waste time with. Lol.
Great points. Being efficient, limiting distractions, and working a little every day is key. Do you ever do batch sewing?
Yes – that’s a great way to be efficient!
I know now you were an accountant! Were you also born in October? I am and always have been very efficient and I was a bookkeeper in almost all my jobs. My closest friends also were in the field too and all of us were born from the end of September to the middle if October. We are your parents age but we are extremely focused and efficient. You can get so much work done if you stay focused on what you want. I heard this saying once and have it on a blackboard inherited from my mom: most people will give up what they want most in the world for what they want now.
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I certainly resonated with your thoughts and comments. Years ago I left the college classroom and decided to take my quilting hobby to the next level and make my “classroom ” teaching workshops and classes. It was difficult to make local guilds understand that asking me to do a 3-hour Workshop as a monthly program for a token gift of $25 gift certificate at the LQS was inappropriate. I finally was able to build a small business on the regional level and have loved every minute. In 2015 I was invited to teach at AQS Chattanooga. This was certainly a high point for me. I really enjoy your posts and your work, Christa.
So much of what you said here resonates with me. My turning point came when I finally decided to treat my ‘hobby’ as the job I want it to be. I plan each day/week and I get so much more done. When I worked in HR, at the end of each day I would make a list of tasks that needed done when I came back to the office the next day. That way I didn’t waste any time when I got to the office – I could just jump in and start my day. I’ve started doing that with my quilting and it has helped me SO much. My biggest hurdle is getting a few of my stay at home friends to understand that even though I’m home now I’m still ‘at work.’ 🙂
I enjoy reading your posts. Keep the balance and be happy doing what you are doing.
These are good reminders!