Tips from cats, Tim and Molly

Tips from cats, Tim and Molly
I’m showing lots of pics of our kitties today, both because I’ll find any excuse, and also because I do so admire the feline nature. While I’m doing reasonably ok on the grooming and physical suppleness thing that cats do so well, I’ve got loads to learn in terms of their other admirable characteristics, ie: having no ambition, being easily adaptable, making no apologies for their needs and a devotion to snoozing in the sun. Basically, I need to learn how to relax and not to work all the flippen time.

To that end, Sunday found me in a book shop, skim-reading bits of chapters of a book called The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss .You can understand why I was attracted to the title, and why it is a #1 New York Times bestseller, right? Now, I like my work, and if I only had four hours in my studio a week, the fact is, I’d be losing out on the thing I like best. Also, I know nothing about Tim Ferriss, or whether his opinion on what makes a Better Life can be trusted. But I know I do work too hard, and am getting fed up with it, so I felt a tip or two gleaned from a skim read wouldn’t hurt.

tip #1: Don’t check email first thing, and only check email twice a day – at 12pm and 4pm.
Applying this tip, even partially, has been a minor miracle for me this week. For ages now, I have been checking mail at 6:30am, and then often throughout the day, culminating in one final 10pm check before shutting down for the day. I didn’t realise how bad it was until I tried cutting down and became aware of how strong the impulse is. It also made me realise how often email throws me off course. Not checking mail constantly has allowed me to set the agenda for the day, not becoming immediately sidetracked into things other people need me to do for them. I highly recommend this one!

tip #2. Set yourself not more than two tasks to achieve in a day.
I started this week with a schedule of all the things I needed to get done on each day this week- limiting it to just two or three things per day – printed it out and stuck it in my diary. Of course, additional things have crept in – I ran out of zips and suddenly found I was in desperate need of a reprint of Eep! – but mostly I managed to stick to my very manageable task list. Consequently, here I am near the end of the week with a feeling of having achieved lots, and I’ve also found some time to do some creative cutting and sewing work in my studio, which I haven’t done for months.

There are other things I skimmed from Ferriss, like making shorter deadlines, getting into the habit of making decisions faster, etc, but for now, these two are improving my life, making me feel less harried and on top of things etc.

Now, back to the kitties. I know someone who seems to have many of the catlike characteristics to which I aspire, and I’m very lucky that she’s now helping me with the wholesaleing and production side of my work. Her name is Molly, and her catlike qualities are not so much a lack of ambition or a devotion to snoozing, but more about an equinimaty, an unflappable steadiness and a self-possession that’s simply the essence of cool. She’s also very darn funny, which you can see for yourself by reading her blog.

I can’t tell you what a relief it is to have someone to talk decisions through with, to forward emails on to, and just to be that extra pair of hands I’ve been desperate for for so long. So thanks for all the help, Molly (and Tim, and the cats). Things are looking up.