Making Time for Interesting Times; or, How I Want to be More Like Ayn Rand

Oh yeah - it seems I have a blog.

OK - I didn't forget I had a blog, exactly. I always kept meaning to update it. But you know how it is. Life gets in the way. The boss makes unreasonable demands, like that I do the job I am assigned and paid for. (Sheesh.) Meals must be prepared and laundries must be done, and I have to stop and watch "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" 'cause it's, you know, on.

These are common challenges. But there's also the aspect of me being traditionally bad at long-term planning and focusing on projects that are important to me personally.

Sure, I get tasks done at work, get the bills paid, and so on. But I've always been bad at completing that big creative project I thought of, like, eight years ago... or charting a viable career path and following through with it. Or committing to travel to that interesting place I've always wanted to go to.

And then there's this blog. It's like, what - eight months since the last post? Criminey. And it's a shame, 'cause there have been SO many interesting things since then to write about! (As I move forward, I may go back and dredge up some from the past.)

But, I have recently resolved to be tough with myself and commit to those things which are PERSONALLY important, and carve out time to work on them.

I read recently that Ayn Rand wrote her early works during her lunch breaks at her receptionist job. (Feel free, Gentle Readers, to weigh in if I'm shaky on the details.) Now, I find Ms. Rand's politics repellent, and her writing didactic and leaden, but the point is, SHE GOT THE SHIT DONE. (To be fair, a little further research indicates she got a lift from amphetamines.) I tend to use my lunch breaks checking up on vital developments on the Internet and making Bigfoot jokes with coworkers.

So, among other things I'm going to work harder to identify those places and times where I can change my habits, and stop just giving lip service to caring about my personal projects. I hope you enjoy the results - I'll be doing my best to make your attention to them worthwhile. Tips on time- and self-management are also welcome from those of you who've got it goin' on.

Meanwhile, I got a welcome kick in the pants today from this guy.