Staying Connected and On Task

I've been neglecting my DW and LJ communities for a long time, now, in favor of what I realize are often broader, but shallower, connections. I reach more people, but I do so at the expense of the wonderful conversations I used to enjoy here. In a way, I've been going for what the corporate world calls low-hanging fruit, which are, at least in my case, goblin fruit. This doesn't mean that those other ways of connecting online don't have a place in my life, but simply that I don't think they should be my primary means of communicating online.

My life is busy, and I don't always spend my time wisely. I feel overwhelmed by the many things I want to do, so far too often I retreat into doing things that are meaningless. I know better—heck, I've taught time management skills to students—but, I am not as self-disciplined as I want to be, nor as I need to be. Maybe I'm just in post-con dumps—TusCon 39 was last weekend—but there's nothing like the reminder that yet another year has passed in which I didn't finish even a tiny fraction of the things I wanted to do, to make me feel that it's time for me to figure out how I can stay on task to complete more of the things that are important to me, while also being connected in more meaningful ways.

I'm not going to make promises, but I am going to make an effort to find a better balance in my life: one that supports me in my multiple creative efforts; that ensures I keep up my commitments at home, at work, and in the online business I share with my husband; and that helps me stay connected in the ways I want to be, with the people that matter.

Here are some highlights of my goals, in no particular order:

• Write more
• Submit more
• Jump start the almost quiescent writing group I'm part of
• Complete the CRLA Level II certification requirements before the end of the semester
• Stay on top of all administrative tasks for Red Poulaine, the Etsy shop I share with my husband
• Post at least twice a week to our shop blog, Red Poulaine's Musings
• Finish the quilt I started at least three years ago, in time to ship it for Christmas
• Finish this list

P.S. I really hate it when a post in progress gets inadvertently posted. :P