I’ve got a confession to make:  I sometimes leave dishes in the sink or laundry in the dryer because I want to spend some quality time doing the things I really love.

Of course, if you know my schedule, you probably can’t imagine when I find personal time (to write, draw or quilt) let alone time to do laundry and dishes.

But I know that I have time to do all the important things  PRECISELY BECAUSE  I reward myself with personal time.

Currently, I work a full-time job, run a booming quilted cot cover business, write this blog, clean my house, make dinner and serve as the president of my community’s homeowner association.

But I also find time to indulge two of my favorite passions:  writing and quilting.

I’m working on a book for funeral directors (with many of the issues from this blog taking center stage) and a novel about an arson investigator named Nicole Sparks.

So how do I make all this happen and still sleep 8 hours a night?

First, I spent some time figuring out the time of day that I do my best writing and set that aside.  For me, it’s early mornings and just before bed.  Then, I plugged in my workday (8-5 with a 1 hour lunch) and other obligations (my partner likes to eat before 6:00 pm, so after work is dedicated to making dinner).

Here’s my typical schedule:

6:30 am - Read email, write something for the blog, write other stuff.
7:15 am - Shower, brush teeth, get dressed
8:00 am - Work at the Fire Department
Noon - Home for lunch.  I eat and watch a recorded TV show, like “Simply Quilts” or “Pushin’ Daisies.”
1:00 pm - Back to work
5:15 pm - Make dinner
5:45 pm - Eat dinner
7:00 pm - Meet with Kim, my assistant.  Fill cot cover orders
9:00 pm - Check email, write a little more
10:00 pm - In bed, watch some TV
10:30 pm - Begin snoring softly (or loudly, depending up on the severity of the day)

Repeat!

Notice that there’s not a whole lot of television in there, except for what I intentionally record or when it’s time to nod off.  TV’s a time wasting pacifier that stops your brain.

Is it hard to wean yourself off the ’boob’tube?  Um, yeah!  But now that I’ve spent more time away from television, I find that reality programs are just too annoying to watch for any more than about ten seconds.  I don’t care who is America’s Next Top Model or who the Bachelor will choose or who can Outlast, Outwit or Outstupid who on some deserted beach.

In a post titled 21 Ways to Be More Creative on her self-named blog, Christine Kane lists this important first step:

1 - Stop watching television

Or better yet, get rid of the damn thing. Any time I teach writing or creativity, this is one of the biggies. TV is a mind-killer. It numbs you. It fills you with emotionally-charged images and over-simplified solutions. It dulls you. Turn it off. Even if this idea scares you, turn it off.

Want more time?  Take back control of your life and turn off the TV.  Unless, of course, there’s some good football on at that moment.  In which case, feel free to watch a few more plays!