Simple: learn to quit.
Art is never finished. Therefore, the trick is learning to let go.
A doodler releases his or her work into the world when she or he is ready.
A true artist releases his or her work into the world when the art is ready.
The key to great art is not skill, but timing.
Life is never perfect, so always give second chances. But if things continue cruising below par, stop wasting time. Pour out the glass half-empty or fill it up again, but don’t let it sit there. Accept defeat or reverse your situation. If you pour, try not to make a mess. If you want a refill, calculate the effort necessary and decide if a realistic outcome is worth it. Attempting to rekindle the fire can be a risky investment of your time.
Sure, enduring heavy baggage can make you stronger. But dumping weight can make you more agile, able to reach the next milestone quicker.
What do you do when you come home from work or school? Keep working? Relax? Watch television? Read a book? Write? Work out? Spend time with family? Go to bed?
It is important to keep your body healthy and mind sharp. Family is very important, not to be neglected. Balance is the key to successful living. But consider: your after hours are unencumbered by the expectations of a paycheck or supervisor. You have the freedom to live, the freedom to grow, and the freedom to innovate.
Many of today’s most impactful creations did not manifest at the hands of large corporate teams, wealthy R&D divisions, or policymakers – they were conceived by individuals as hobbies after hours. Henry Ford experimented with his first gasoline engine at home while working for the Edison Illuminating Company. John Pemberton, a late nineteenth century pharmacist, bottled Coca-Cola as a side project. The Wright Brothers assembled gliders in the back of their bicycle shop. Google and Facebook were both parented by active college students. The list goes on.
Live your life doing what you want to do. Embrace your hobbies. Embrace your time. What you do after hours can liberate you.
In my post last night, I said I would start blogging on the 1st. I wanted to give myself time to get my act together before starting this daily chore. I was procrastinating. It’s a bad habit of mine, one that I need to overcome. No time like the present. Time to blog.
Fred Wilson, a venture capitalist for many successful web companies, replied to my post about overcoming procrastination with, “We wait it out :)”
Patience brings peace to anxious souls. While there is something endearing about patience being the remedy to procrastination, patience does not solve the inherent problem. We are mortals and time is finite. Deferring projects, homework, goals or chores wastes time we could instead spend relishing in life’s accomplishments.
Craig Ormiston 