I know I’m not telling you anything you don’t know, but I’m going to say it anyway. There will never be enough time to do everything you want to do. Never. Your job is to figure out what’s most important to you and to make sure you get it done.

If you aren’t in a battle with time, there’s no need to read further. If you want to get more from your day, continue.

Here’s the rub: You have 24 hours in a day. That’s it. If you sleep 8 of them, that leaves you with 16 hours. How are you spending those 16 hours? If you don’t know, I encourage you to keep a time-allocation record for one week, and then analyze where your time is going. How much of it is in your studio? How much in your art office? How much on marketing? You also want to know how much time for household chores and errands. And are you getting enough leisure, social, and “me” time in there? Are you spending your time in a way that honors your goals and life vision?

One of the single most important things I do is keep a running list of everything I have to do or want to do. Not two lists, not three, just one. This is important because it’s all in one place. I only have to look for one notebook and one list, not a bunch of scattered papers. Right now, there are exhibits I want to see, tasks that must be done with their deadlines, and things I want to research (like getting a new window perch for my cat). It would look like a mess to anyone else, but it’s my security blanket. Every idea and commitment is captured and the list goes with me everywhere.

The prioritizing comes at the end of the day. That’s when I look at my list and decide what absolutely must be done the next day. I grab a Post-It note (only because I seem to have an abundance of these) and write the next day’s date at the top, followed by the three to five things that have to be done that day. These aren’t things that I’d like to do. These are things that must be done--things I have to mark off the list before I go to bed.

The cool thing is that I usually tackle these must-do tasks first thing. Often, they’re off the list by noon and then I can do whatever I want after that. The other really cool thing is that I sleep better. I don’t wake up thinking I’ve forgotten something or break out in a sweat because there’s something I should be doing. I know what needs to be done and I can sleep like a baby. All because I prioritized my life.