Priorities

I have my hand in a lot of things.  I teach school, I teach piano lessons, I direct music at a church, I compose ... and I also have a home life.  On top of that, in a very few short weeks, I'll also become a father, putting my proverbial hand into a whole other realm of things.

Now, most of this "busy-ness" is by design: I enjoy doing a little of this and a little of that.  My wife accuses me of "flitting" in the evenings -- going from one thing to the next to the next.  Indeed, as I write this, I'm watching Nova ScienceNOW on TV, and occasionally stopping to read a bit in a novel or wander off and do something else throughout the house.  I've always become bored doing the same thing over and over, so this ability to go from one thing to the next and then back, while probably not the most efficient way to get things done, works for me.

The problem with this approach, however, is that I tend to find myself very easily -- and frequently -- over-committed, or very close to that point.  I always manage to get things done (or have, at least, so far), but it does make for some very hectic times.  Indeed, I can look now about six to eight weeks out and I see a week-and-a-half period of time where things are very, very hectic, including concerts, church services, classes, lessons, and a round-trip flight half-way across the country to conduct a handbell festival (and a shorter drive from home to conduct another).

Added to all of that, I'm a Creative -- I have my own creative projects I want and need to get done, both composing and writing.  I've got a novel I'm trying to finish, and not only do I have pieces I wish to and feel called to compose, but I have pieces that editors have specifically requested, and other pieces I've been commissioned to write. 

What this all boils down to is that I've got to be a master of priorities: knowing what to work on and when to work on it to make sure it all gets done when it's supposed to.  This isn't always easy.

Some things shoot themselves right up the priority list: if it's Sunday morning at 10:30, no matter what else I have to do, that day's church service has top priority.  The same with teaching my students around noon on a school day.

Other things lend themselves quite easily to dropping down the priority list: anything that is listed as "optional," at least for me, usually reads as, "Only do this if everything else is done first.

With everything else, however, setting the priority level is a matter of guesswork, assumption, and prior experience.  I also have to ask myself many, many questions: How much time will this project need overall?  Is it better to dabble at this a little at a time over the course of several weeks, or sit down and try to knock it out in a weekend?  If it's a creative project, do I need to allow for time after I'm done and before it's officially due to make corrections and changes?

Once I've assigned a priority level, the questions don't stop: Is it better to work on the first thing that's due even though it's a huge project, or to quickly knock out several smaller things so that I don't feel like there is so much looming over me on my to-do list?

I'd love to say I've come up with the perfect solution to all of this ... but I haven't.  Truth to tell, I'm not sure I (or anyone else, for that matter) ever will.  What I do know is that the simple fact of assigning priorities and thinking about how much and what quality of time a project requires makes the deciding much simpler when I do sit down to work.  Even the simple act of making a list of projects and their due dates (whether official or self-imposed) can make the process run more smoothly.

What all this means is that I often have to sacrifice things I enjoy doing to do the things I need to do: giving up an hour or two of television of an evening to compose or proof a score is not an unheard of thing.  Even then, it's about priorities: it's more important to me to get a piece of music or a novel created and out in the world than it is for me to have the short-lived enjoyment of watching a program or two on television. 

As you go through this next week, look at everything you do, and ask yourself just what sort of priority it really is to you.  Often, we do things that aren't high priority because they're easier, and humans, by and large, will take the path of least resistance.  See if you don't need to reevaluate your priorities and spend your time on something different.

Your creative life may just thank you for it.