Reflections on Overworking or
How I kept every iron in the fire:

I'm a workaholic. It took me a while to realize this because I never thought myself to be the type. I don't like work. I don't want to do it. However, I never seemed to be happy unless I was doing something. Accordingly, I would book myself solid with projects: Main editing gig (which was at least a 10 hour day), writing/producing co-productions, script talks, and a musical outlet. Ergo, I was overloaded, and had no fun. Vis a Vis, there was no time for family, as they were regulated to the 'there, but not needing time' spot.

I was wrong. As many before me, I discover that to work and only work is not the final goal but the journey. Fulfillment comes in many ways. One maxim I realized is that any career in the entertainment business is fleeting. If you give time to it, films will come and go. But family will always be there.

So I've enacted The Discipline of Three.

1. Family
2. Job (Main paying gig)
3. 1 creative outlet

Yes, one only. Because of point three, I have broken this discipline constantly, but it is a Discipline. Which can be defined as "...training, whether physical, mental, or moral." Ergo a work in progress. It used to be a rule, but I realized my fallibility.

Even though I often find myself with two or three concurrent outlets, living the discipline is helping me to be more focussed. I am learning to say no, to delegate, and most importantly, to wait: putting projects on back burners until I can give them my full attention.

This can often be infuriating as my current project, the AHS pitch, has taken 9 months to almost complete and everything else is back burnered. But, I HAVE focussed. And AHS is something I'm very proud of. And I don't think I could have achieved my part in it if I did not practice my discipline.

BTW, I will speak more on AHS once I am able. It's still a skunkworks-type project....