Life Is All About Timing

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” Steve Jobs

I think a lot about time. I think about how precious time is and how much I still waste in petty ways. I can’t turn back the clock or stop it, but I can control how I manage and respect it to make the most of whatever time I have.

 In a way each person is a walking metronome tuned to their own eternal timekeeper. For example, when I move easily with time, it feels like a green light drive through town. When I resist, or lose track it feels like it did just before Christmas when Buster’s towed my car. Lately our family saying “timing is everything” has become a personal reminder to get “it right” in my life, in my music and in my relationships. 

“For every minute spent in organizing an hour is earned”

Having released two Independant CD projects, I understand what it takes to encompass large, long-term projects while also juggling family life and my day job jewelry business. That’s why I began writing songs for my new CD two years ago as I work with the power of intention and daily lists. I  also understand what it means to take on far too much, split focus and lose momentum. Overall I can be quite organized in the things I like, but not so much in the things I do not. For instance, last fall while attempting to put together a marketing plan for FACTOR, I hit a wall and the deadline passed. Instead of beating myself up I realized the timing was off and I needed new organizational tools. Then I received an email to join the SAC (Songwriter’s Association of Canada) 9 week Social Media Challenge with a wonderful opportunity to learn new organizational approaches with a group of fellow musicians. Perfect timing!  So I ordered Ariel Hyatt’s “Music Success in 9 Weeks” and plunged into Chapter 1 on “Setting Goals” that included a feel good 5 sentence daily self pat on the back of positive things similar to the “Happiness Project” my daughter turned me onto.

After an inspiring live chat forum with Ariel and the other participants, I immediately threw myself into a frenzied state of maniacal organization over the following days that led to a nasty headache. My brain felt like it was bursting. I could not figure out how to integrate my tasks into an organized plan. I hit another wall. Fortunately, I had my first online Skype singing lesson from Nashville, which helped clear my mind along with a nap. Refreshed, I literally stepped back from all my notes and visualized what I needed to do. Slowly I began transferring my extensive  “think big” notes to “post its” on my blank wall . It slowly came together in a way that made sense to me. I stood grinning at my wall of possibilities like a cheshire cat. I tangibly felt the tension in my neck and jaw gradually release and saw the lights turn green. Then I realized I needed a hard copy too. So I fumbled with an excel spreadsheet and methodically transferred my notes to a 12 page chart complete with dates and deadlines. 9 hours later… there it was. My master plan! What a thrill! Ok some computer wiz could have done it in much less time, but who cares? It’s my plan and my learning process. It’s been quite a week. I figured out how to load this new blog, wrote a 12-page framework (to be refined) for my 1 year Master Plan and I defined my 5 immediate goals with dates. Which of course, include crafting my marketing plan to create a well-planned cd release that is low on stress and high on fun. Which I hope you’ll come to by the way. So this is my kickoff to who knows what, yet one thing is very clear. No matter what happens, I will do my best to make the most of time.

Building the visual template

The "Think Big" paper trail

Page 1 of the 12 page master plan