A panel from “Le Singe.”

I’ve drawn a hard line on a final themes and sub-themes for a short I’m producing.

I explore five ways one can make more out of their days.  This is important to me as I explore how to best tell the story I want and have a transitional main character.  Here are some ideas I borrow from my own life to see how they may fit.

• Begin with the End in mind
• Recognize one’s limits & needs
• Follow simple principals
• Engage with family & friends
• End with the beginning in mind

Begin with the End in Mind

I often begin my week and days with the end in mind.  The end, of course, is what goal(s) I want to accomplish.  Sometimes my goal is to open up certain dialogues with my children.  Sometimes a goal is to accomplish certain things with a project or client.  Beginning with the end in mind helps me better plan my time and, subsequently, finish a day or week with a sense of ease and accomplishment.

Recognize and Live Within Limits & Needs

I often begin my days with my limits and needs in mind.  A certain amount of sleep is needed to function creatively, civilly, or to feel and look better.

Follow Simple Principles

Good days and bad days come and sometimes I don’t feel like being nice, especially when someone has treated me less than expected.

Engage meaningfully with family & friends

I try to spend a little time each day to meaningfully engage with family and friends.  By my definition meaningfully engaging means taking time to ask, explore, and listen.

End with the Beginning in Mind

I don’t do well with heavy tasks in the morning therefore I end with the beginning in mind.  If I have an early morning shoot I will prepare for it the night before.  I will make lunches.  I will choose clothes.  I find that by ending with the beginning in mind my starts are relatively stress-free, efficient, and with few false starts that have me backtracking to do something I missed.

I stopped hard from walking the busy downtown.  A distraught construction worker caught my ear as he talked to security.  Someone had stolen his big box of tools.  Having worked construction myself I knew the big box was his present and future employment and that a major artery had been cut into.

Let it re-start here.