Is there a difference between a productive day and a busy day? I think I had a productive day today but it didn’t feel so busy. Yesterday, I felt busy but not productive. I think it all comes down to having a schedule.
Yesterday, I was working on the same thing that I was today. I have a gentleman’s agreement with a buddy of mine to sell some pens through his clothing store. We’re looking at a September launch, so I’m working on eighteen pens for that. It’s taken me a little longer to get started on it than I would like but I’ve still got some time.
My lathe breaking again set me back. This time, a loose set screw set me back. Now, it’s up and running. I was able to finish three pens today and prepare three more for tomorrow. That’s a good start. It was productive.
Today, I didn’t have to be anywhere at any time. The day was left to me to decide what to do. Yesterday, I had plans for 5:30 in the evening and my day worked around that. It felt busy because I was limited by the amount of time that I had. To things done, I had to think about how long they’d take. That wasn’t the case today.
I woke up somewhat late because the cats kept me up. The introductions are going rather well but there are moments when my girls just want my attention. Those times happen to be early in the morning, around 2:00 am, 4:00 am, and 7:00 am. My girlfriend’s cat was jumping at the bit this morning, too. I moved to the couch at some point during the night and went back in the morning after my girlfriend got up.
I wrote my morning pages casually. There wasn’t a need to rush them. Oddly enough, they took a little less time than they normally do. I made coffee and cut up some fruit for breakfast. I even washed the knife and cutting board instead of just leaving them in the sink for when I found time put them in the dishwasher. In good time, right around noon, I was outside and at work on the pens. I took a short break in the afternoon and went to work for another couple of hours. Things got done and it was quite nice.
Most days, my schedule keeps me busy. I have to leave the house at a certain time or the traffic will irritate me before my day even starts. The bell times keep me on schedule during the school day so I have to manage my time accordingly. In the evenings, I have to eat, do some turning if I can, play with and feed the girls, and then get to bed at a decent time so that I can do it again. The routine is regimented.
The summer is good for doing away with that structure. There is some trouble in providing myself with a framework so that I don’t lose complete track of time and the days don’t pass unnoticed. I’m getting more used to doing this for myself with each passing summer.
I do have to end this post here, however, because I’m running out of time. There are only about thirteen minutes left in the day and I’m on a 99-day streak.
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