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Does life seem overwhelming, and at times, does it seem the computer only adds to the chaos? Myrna Giesbrecht tells us how she got her time back with the help of computer programs.

Compter Quilting BYTES

Issue 10: August 2000
Editor: Sharla R. Hicks
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Too Much To Do - Too Little Time

by Myrna Giesbrecht

Get a computer they told me. You'll streamline things, get them done faster, stop repeating yourself, and do more in less time. Sounded great, only when I finally caved to the pressure, I found it wasn't true. The advent of the computer did not make my life simpler. Instead, I used way more paper that once printed required re-reading, sorting and filing, sometimes shredding. Gone were the graph paper and coloured pencils and in their place, a click and point system. Each change part of a never-ending learning curve that was as exciting as it was tedious. Oh for the good old days of cut, paste and to the printer!

Working around my family, I crammed work into every spare moment and went from a morning person to an early morning to late night person. What started out being fun drained the life out of me, as each day became drudgery. Why didn't I just stop the treadmill and get off? In a way, I did!

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In October 1999, I attended Quilting by the Sound, in Washington. The first two days were spent in studio time. I could do whatever I wanted. A piece had been floating around in my head for years and this seemed the perfect opportunity to transfer it to fabric. I was rather shocked to find I couldn't sew. I shook, I sweat, I sat there not talking and I'm a rather avid talker if you know me! I turned the machine on, and then I turned it off. I picked up tools and put them down. It was all very strange. I didn't recognize myself. Who was this weird person? I realized that I hadn't slowed down, hadn't done anything purely for fun in over five years and I simply didn't know how. I was spending more time writing and talking about rather than doing my art. It was a life altering experience. The two pieces I completed during that time became the jumping off point for a more creatively satisfying work life and a better balanced lifestyle overall.

While I never want to go back and can't ever imagine running my business without the computer, I knew then that I needed to make some changes. Over the past six months I have looked at what I am doing and analyzed the why of it. I've asked myself a lot of questions. The process went something like this - I design a line of patterns. Why do I design a line of patterns? Is the financial return worth the time invested? Is it fun? - and so on. I asked myself those questions about every area of my life and time and time again I eliminated items that were no longer satisfying. Things I was doing because I thought I should, not because I wanted to, things that were no longer valuable.

Then, I set limits on my time, lowered my expectations to a realistic level and gave myself room to be real. It's been a process. One that will always be a struggle but one that has freed me to develop new and exciting areas and that has allowed me to put restraints on others. My type A personality is not likely to change, it will always be there, but I am the only one with the power to control it. It wasn't my computer, it was me! That old phrase physician heal thyself comes to mind.

My business is once again exciting and I am enjoying the freedom of my computer again. Now I understand how it can simplify my life. Instead of allowing it to control me, I have made a decision to control it. I'm learning not to tie myself into self-imposed deadlines. At my site - www.press4success.com - you'll now see notes like under re-construction - to be completed soon I hope. Adobe Acrobat has allowed me to put many products into electronic format. Combined with credit processing companies like clickbank.com, there is no more packaging, shipping, handling or stocking expenses. Quilt Pro, CorelDraw and the Electric Quilt product Stash allow me to produce designs and diagrams using virtual fabrics that look like real quilts. The result - less sample sewing, less illustrating and virtually no photography. What a time and money saver! Another product, My Business Emailer, lets me personally contact all my subscribers in mere minutes. Wow! And e-mail has let me develop relationships with quilt artist around the world and submit articles to on-line and print magazines. It's truly exciting.

On the personal side, I'm trading lessons with a friend - teaching her quilting while she teaches me upholstery. We both get a minimum three hours a week of fun and entertainment. Each year for the past fifteen years, I have taken a retreat somewhere in North America with a friend; a break from responsibility and time shared. Anytime I've needed to learn a new program, I've hired a tutor to teach me specifics rather than take a general class. It's been great. So, when I realized I didn't want to travel much anymore, these three activities led me to offer 1-1 and 1-2 workshops and independent studio time in my studio so clients can come and have a holiday with me. Workshops are designed around what my clients want to learn. It's a focused and creatively inspiring time for both of us involving less pre time for me. Bonus - I still get to enjoy sharing what I know with others and seeing the wonder of their designs without the traveling. Too fun!

Through it all I've concluded that life is for living, not for just getting by. It's about building relationships and memories, about working with your skills and gifts and touching others lives. It's about having fun. Sure the hard times come but they are just part of the cycle. So, look at the computers, answering machines, cell phones, faxes, TV's, CD's and other toys in your life. Have they actually made life easier or more pressurized? Make them work for you not against you.

When I came to the conclusion I wanted less work, less cleaning, less struggling and perfectionism and more fun, more art, more relationships, and ultimately more time with my family, I took the time and energy to work through the questioning process and make changes. It was worth every minute. It brought my life back into balance and perspective. I urge you to try it; you just might like it!

Myrna Giesbrecht is an artist who writes about, teaches, and creates textile art. She lives in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. Visit her website myrnagiesbrecht.com or email her at mhg@direct.ca

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