get OFF the internet! (oh the irony)

When Malcolm Gladwell was asked in an interview if he used social networking and the like, he responded…

“My goal is to do less things online, not more… Because I have a limited amount of time. My whole goal in the world is to clear big spaces of time to think and to explore, to follow my curiosity. And if I’m constantly on my blackberry it kinda chews into what’s important.”

What is important…

Love?

Friendship?

People?

Art?

Nature?

Conversation?

The air we breathe?

We all know time is precious. But I think more often than not, we ignore this notion.

If you were to die tomorrow, what gifts would the world lack because you didn’t share them with us?

Challenge yourself to set aside some time to simply take in the important stuff around you.

Challenge yourself to use the internet for networking and furthering your artistic path, and leave the other stuff to the non-artists.

Challenge yourself to go an adventure, to go somewhere new… even if it’s just a subway ride away. New images and environments create new energy, sparking your creativity.

And of course… CREATE YR ART daily.

A few tricks I learned from the Ultimate Sales Machine, by Chet Holmes: in order to better focus your time and energy it’s very important to plan your day in advance. For the To Do List Makers out there here’s a new way to go about your day.

1. Make a Giant To Do List
2. The night before each day take 5 to 6 things from your Giant To Do List, and plan out your day hour by hour, allotting time to work on each project.
3. Include your normal day’s tasks too, making sure your day does not exceed 10 hours.
4. Remember to schedule time to check email, phone messages, and meal-time.
5. When you begin to work from your schedule, turn off your phone and email notifications. For example, say I allotted 20 minutes for a workout session, I make sure I turn off my phone. After the 20 minutes are up, I check for missed calls. If something is urgent I respond to it then, but if not I deal with the phone conversation when I have allotted the time in my daily schedule for that.
6. Within each day, set aside time for your art. Time for creativity allows for increased positive energy to flow into your life.
7. Also remember to add a couple breaks throughout the day to sustain your momentum.

Time is what it is. And it’s our challenge to make the most of what we’ve got.

Organize your life with your daily to-dos, but be weary of your Ego who’s waiting to steer your focus. More time spent focusing your energy on your daily to-dos and your art, creates a powerful Ego Defense System.

Spend less time doing everything else, and more time doing the important things, like creating and sharing yr art.

"Get off the internet. I'll meet you in the street." Le Tigre