It's so easy to neglect and so so so hard to undo it.  I've always had a problem balancing my interests and considering how many interests I have, this is really a technique I need to master.  Sure, I make lists but it's so easy to ignore a list.

What's not easy to ignore is progress lost. 

Flickr is one of my favorite places on the interwebs.  I love photography with the fiery passion of 1000 suns and the community there is really like no other I've come across.  Although I've been online longer than most people I know (I still have a clear picture of Prodigy bulletin boards back in the day and don't forget The Sierra Network) I've always been kind of a lurker.  Well, maybe not back in the BB/Sierra days but definitely as time went on.  I really don't know why, it doesn't reflect my real personality which I would consider to be outgoing. 

So with flickr I vowed to open up, meet people, network, etc, and it worked.  I met a ton of incredible photographers and one of my drawings even ended up tattoo'd on the back of one of them.  It's been an amazing experience.  However, somewhere down the line I lost the balance and neglected my flickr friends.

Well I know when it started, it started in May when I had a huge problem balancing my work life with my online life.  Then I got to that point where I wanted to ignore the "damage" I'd done which, of course, distanced me even further.

It's not just about flickr, that's just an example.  This is about me learning to spread it out.  Set a list of goals for myself every day and actually follow through.  That's the hardest part, the follow through.  That's the entire reason I started the Doodle a Day for a Year project (which by the way I am following through on, it's just the scanning part I always ignore.  I promise to get those up very soon).  I wanted to prove to myself that I could set a goal and go all the way.

Every day is a lesson on time management for me.  Fighting through the urge to get distracted.  I have managed to make a few changes like leaving the t.v. off in the morning (even though I feel incredibly out of the loop with current events) and making myself wake up before 10a.m. so I have a full day to conquer said tasks, but I need more tips.

So, fill me in. What are you secrets?  How do you balance all of your commitments? What really motivates you to follow through? Is there something you tell yourself ever day?  I'm not really talking about how you keep lists or use things like Friend Feed to stay organized. It's more about the mental block that keeps one from staying on top of things. 

Can someone please reprogram my brain?