Two Times Lunch

Tuesday January 8th, 2008 - Palatine, IL/Lake Villa, IL

I knew I would be in for a lot of work this year and I was right. Time management is my biggest concern and I am starting to see just how important it is if I will accomplish any of my goals. I made some ambitious ones and it’s already January 8th and I haven’t really got anything done yet. I’ve been trying to get things done but life has been getting in the way.

Driving to Pittsburgh and back took time. Yes I listened to helpful instruction tapes as I drove and they were great but it’s draining to drive 600 miles each way to go to work. I’m going in a lot of directions and this is not going to be easy. Yesterday was not only fun but productive too. Getting on the radio is always good and hosting the Zanies show felt great but I had to get there and back both times and it was an all day affair just to get that done.

Today I had lunch with Marc Schultz like I do quite often. Marc is a friend and a booker and I told him I was working not only on my new business but also on preparing a quality package he can use to sell to corporate clients. That will cost a couple thousand dollars at least and will take time to prepare a video that will sell to that audience. I need to be in the right environment and dressed in a suit if I’m going to get the gigs that pay the big money.

That all takes time and effort too. My plate is already full but I know I can do those gigs if I get the bookings. But I need to prepare a package to sell myself. And what about all of the clubs? I still haven’t made an effort to reconnect with all my contacts there like I really need to do. I was going to do that today but Marc called and wanted to have lunch. I love hanging out and it’s usually productive too but it shoots a good portion of the day to hell.

On the way to Marc’s house I got a call from Jim McHugh. He and Mike Preston have a similar situation to me in that they’re both trying to spread out from the comedy clubs and start their own things just like I’m doing with Uranus Factory Outlet. We all thought it’s a good idea to create a weekly round table type lunch to encourage each other’s projects for the new year. We were going to meet tomorrow but Mike was busy so we made it today.

We met at a place that’s not far from Marc’s house and about 45 minutes for each of us. I went from lunch with Marc to lunch with the guys so one thing I’m doing very well at in 2008 is lunch. We bounced ideas around and it was fun but that still didn’t accomplish any tangible results for any of us. Mike went over a new character he is doing and it was funny and well done and hopefully Jim and I were able to make some suggestions he can use but all three of us are starting the new year with no financial security and that’s not pleasant.

If time really is money mine is slipping through my fingers. I’m working hard and trying to accomplish things but I think I may have stacked my plate even higher than I imagined. I didn’t make time to exercise today and I was still sore from all the walking I did to get to the train station and back yesterday. And I didn’t get to spend one minute writing comedy.

The desk I bought a few weeks ago now has piles of papers on it all disjointed and I feel I am sliding into quicksand only a week into the new year. It’s still early enough to catch it and reverse the trend but I definitely can see my time will be tight if I want to do all this.