productivity in what matters

It’s been a good week so far. I’ve found all 15 shuttles I typically use. Several live in a tin that serves as my Demonstration Box. A couple need some tlc work. Most are the Clover shuttles.

Nothin’ fancy, just good basic shuttles. I still need to gather all the patterns into a folder. And I’d like to wind shuttles for a lanyard to go with my tatted nametag. A couple shuttles are set up to tat another Joy bookmark. Several shuttles are dedicated to my design idea bag.

I’ve found it’s a good idea to set aside time each week for specific tasks. Designing falls into this category. Why? Because I could easily get lost in the task and spend way too much time. If I return to the task for short spurts each week, I am much, much more productive. Just how I work best. It’s important to go with your brain flow. Fighting yourself can leave bruises.

I also spent some time yesterday on the harpsichord. I came to the conclusion that I need to get proficient at replacing strings. Another string broke during the last week. I think because they are vintage strings, (no surprise there) and the wood is responding to the higher humidity here (no surprise there) by swelling. That pulls the strings tighter and week ones snap. I tuned it down almost a half-step yesterday. I figure after another week it may just stay at 415 or so. We’ll see.

I’m looking forward to practice today as I have time on the Dobson at St. Dunstan’s. It’s always a joy to play that organ. I’ll be dressing in layers as it will likely be quite a bit warmer there than at the house. That will be my short spurt for practice time today. I can no longer practice for hours each day. Especially if I’ve done cleaning chores or yard work. I’ve become much better at studying the score and thinking through the music. If I can “learn” the piece that way even a little, I can cut down on the repetition at the keyboard.