As I attempt to successfully fulfill all of my responsibilities and personal interests (ie., full-time job, exercise, cooking, cleaning, art-making, academic pursuits, socializing, etc...) I often feel like a jester tossing pins, balls, and rings towards the sky while maintaining both feet centered and grounded. Somedays I manage to juggle all of life's and my self-created demands with minimal effort and grace. Other days it feels as though every item on my to-do list comes crashing to the floor.
In an attempt to find that happy medium we call "balance" I enrolled in a short series of stress management courses taught by Jacquelyn Ferguson, M.S., that addressed the following:prioritizing goals, assertiveness (helpful for those of us that struggle with delegating or saying no), and developing and maintaining intrinsic motivation through authenticity of self and honoring ones core values. I highly recommend checking out her website at http://www.letyourbodywin.com
The first course addressed prioritizing goals taught me to use a technique called "time-mapping" whereby one creates a structured routine and schedule. It seemed strange to make a date with myself to do yoga, make art, write, etc... but it has definitely helped me to be more accountable to my goals. I began by allotting thirty minutes per day for working on etsy related activities including art-making, listing new works, photographing and or scanning new works, etc... After ten days of using this technique, I had surpassed the short term goals and deadlines that I set. Now, I am actually spending closer to 2 hours per day on the etsy business. By the time I got to the final course on motivation, I was already there for each time I met or surpassed a goal I felt motivated to go do it again.
