MAKING TIME.

Last night I had to give myself a high five because I accomplished what I'd set out to do for the weekend: take a major leap forward with a project I'm working on and carve out an entire day to work in my apartment, free of interruptions. The idea of it seems simple enough, but the execution was actually very, very hard. Taking a whole day to completely disconnect from everything is a bit of a challenge. It's very easy to say, "I just have too much to do!"

Places to go, people to see. I get it.

What I learned (for the millionth time in my life) is that stuff can wait. And, you will get more done in the long run by focusing on one thing at a time instead of doing 75 things at once.

The first five things I do in the morning are:

1. Pee

2. Make tea

3. Turn on my computer

4. Turn on my phone

5. Check my email

On Saturday morning I only did the first 2 and then I set about cleaning my apartment, getting things in order, and working. I got A LOT done. It felt good at the end of the day to respond to emails all at once instead of rapidly on the fly, to work without worrying that I was going to have to run off to do something else in an hour, and my brain felt cleaner to boot. I did have some knee jerk reactions where I found myself wanting to see if I had any messages; it has become almost like a reflex and it took some detoxing to be tech-free in my own apartment. There were a few moments when I was standing there, talking myself out of turning on my computer. I plunked myself down on the floor, stared at the ceiling, and thought about my project and what I was trying to do. And ideas eventually started flowing, but I had to work a bit to get myself there at times. For some reason, it's easier to do when I'm out in the woods, but when I'm home it is harder to unplug.

So, this morning, I did not turn on my computer before I left the house. I didn't turn on my phone. I ate my breakfast in my nice comfy chair and thought about a few things that I wanted to tackle today. Then I suited up for the gym, braced myself for the cold, and started my day.