Decluttering My Life

It's been a while since I've posted anything on here, but in my defense, my life is a chaotic mess. I always have something I should be doing from the moment I drag myself out of bed in the morning to when I drag myself back to my bed at the end of the day. Whether I'm doing stuff for the band I'm in or writing skits for the children's ministry puppet and drama team I co-lead or working or whatever, there's always something on my plate. And frankly, I haven't been great at organizing my time. 

The scripts I write are due every other week, and though I have the source material on my desk, I don't usually due them until the day they're due.

The songs I have to learn so I can record them are in a folder on my headboard, but it's usually not until the last minute that I actually practice them. 

I have six or seven writing projects that I'm working on, and none of them are ever going to be completed if all I do is glance over them as I search for my copy of Ico.

I have a Youtube channel I've been neglecting since December, a Dailybooth account I haven't used in just as long, and this blog, which has a dozen half-baked posts sitting in drafts.

It's not like I don't have free time.  I have a LOT of free time, thanks to the fact I'm taking the semester off from my studying and only working 20-hours or so a week. I just don't use that time well, and when I sit down and think about it, having nothing to show from the last few months but some money in the bank for school and a car is an absolute disgrace.

So here's what I'm going to do.  I'm going to cut the things out of my life that I don't have the drive or resources to complete.  This is what I'm cutting out:

1. My Youtube channel.  I  lack a camera or personal computer to make videos with any sort of regularity, and when I do borrow a camera from my brother, I don't know what the heck I'm going to say or do. Solution? Not even try to make videos for a while. Now, I'm not saying that I will never make videos again, just that for right now, there are things I would rather spend my time and resources on. If things change and I have the desire to make videos and can do it, I will.  I know I've got a few subscribers that I'm potentially letting down(I say potentially because, in all honestly, my videos were never that great.) and for that, I'm sorry. But I have to do this.

2. My Dailybooth.  This isn't a huge deal, because I never think about it, but still.

3. Video Gaming. I enjoy playing video games, but the sense of satisfaction I get out of beating a game is nothing compared to feeling I get when I finish a poem or a short story, and I would rather focus more on writing.

4. Marathon Show-Watching.  In the past, I've blown whole days and weeks doing but watching TV shows.  It's fun, but it's something I can live without.  Exception: LOST.

In addition to cutting things out, I'm going to set goals for myself, and these are a few.

1. Read my entire Bible before the year is over.

2. Write scripts at least 5 days before they're due.

3. Practice my guitar/bass at least an hour a day (Not including songwriting or song-learning.)

4. Write two poems a month.  If I like them enough, I'll post them here.

5. Write at least 25 pages of fiction a month.

6. Post a book review once a month on this blog.  This month, I'm going to be reviewing "Hero Type" by Barry Lyga.

I'm tired of wasting my life, and now I'm going to do something about it. I would love to hear your thoughts.

—Z