By small and simple things

In 2009 I set out to read one non-fiction book for every letter of the alphabet. That’s just 26 books and I figured I could easily do it in a year. I had, after all, read 54 books the previous year. I hadn’t calculated the fact that non-fiction takes me longer to read than fiction, nor had I planned on getting married that year when I set that goal. So I actually didn’t finish all 26 books till April of this year (with several other books in between). But I finished it. I’ve now set a goal to read all the books we own (with the exception of some of Brett’s books), but haven’t set a time-limit on it.

I noticed I got a lot more read during the semester than I did during my breaks. Which seems a little counterintuitive at first. But during the semester I had to ride the bus to campus. And I dedicated bus time to reading time. Having an hour and a half set aside at least three times a week allows a lot of time for reading. When I didn’t have that designated reading time, reading didn’t happen.

And that’s one thing I’ve noticed about the productive people I admire. It isn’t that they dedicate all of their time each day to what they do, it’s that they designate a portion of it, often no more than an hour a day. The sewers who finish multiple quilts or the woman who is constantly finishing sweaters, the artists whose drawings I greatly admire, the Pixar animator who set a goal to draw 365 new super heroes, often spend just an hour a day on their craft. They have to spend the rest of their day working on actual life.

Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.
Alma 37:6

I always have big plans. I have an entire room of sewing projects that need to be completed. I have a sweater I’ve been knitting for years. I have books to read. And somehow my time seems to always escape me and I never get anything done.

In 2013 though I’m going to try something a little different. Rather than hoping to dedicate entire days to projects, days that never seem to materialize; and rather than getting to the end of each day and wondering what I’ve accomplished that made getting out of bed worthwhile (some days it seems all I did was clean the kitchen, and that never lasts), I’m going to dedicate three hours a day to becoming great.

There are six things I’d like to do each day that will make for a better, more creative, more enlightened me. I’m going to give each of them half an hour a day, two first thing when I wake up (study the scriptures and go for a walk) and the other four (sew, knit, read, and yoga) to wind down the day.

I’ve learned in the past that if I shut off my computer in the evening, my evening is more productive, with the added benefit that I get to bed a lot sooner too. So turning off my computer in the evening will be a big part of this happening.

Is this going to happen every day? Nope. Not a chance. But if it happens more days than it doesn’t it will be a huge step in the right direction.

I’m excited. It’s just a bunch of little steps, but that’s how anything gets accomplished. If I want to develop who I am I need to actually start working on it. And now that I’ve told the world about it, I feel rather bound to actually do something about it. Let’s hear it for 2013 – my year of greatness!