How are you playing this summer? -

Are you scheduling time to play this summer?

I think I’ve figured out something; and it seems to be working.

You might remember that I have a new family member: a Lusitano horse from Brazil! Some things fall into place when you’re not expecting anything. That’s how First came into my life. I spent 4 years testing whether I could incorporate “horse life” into “art life”. The result was Yes. Returning to riding after close to 40 years off the horse planted me squarely back into beginner’s mind.

I’m finding the horse arena is much like a studio which is much like the dance floor. There are similarities of energy, frame, composition, direction, balance and lightness. One informs the other yet pushes the boundaries at the same time.

How am I sending energy?

Where is it going?

What shape is it?

How can I be world class in each situation?

I ask these questions in all of my efforts.

Production/Play

Maybe you are a podcast listener too. Recently I listened to a business woman describe how she breaks up her week. She has a family, husband, entrepreneurial career and religion. There is a lot on her plate. She works three days a week from 11am – 6/7pm and the rest of the week is for her family, health and spiritual life. Production days. Play days. No matter which type of day it is there is focus! Pedal to the metal as we used to say in cycling!

This reminds me of Tim Ferriss who has a similar approach he calls batching. He writes that email is the single largest interruption in modern life. I know my email load is a toothpick compared to his but I feel it too. He controls it by setting up an auto-response which states that he’ll be checking his email twice per day or less. This is an example of “performing like tasks at set times, between which you let them accumulate.” (TF)

You can batch tons of stuff. Laundry. Contacting galleries. Loading images to website. Paying bills. Phone calls. Blog posts.

I decided to batch my painting into 3 1/2 days creating my Production schedule.

The other 3 days are Play Days with First!

Half a day is unplanned.

I’ve been working this way for a few weeks now and what a difference it has made. I’m not rushing, stressing, working late or missing meals. I also like the word Production instead of work. Try it out for yourself.