I recently realized that although awakening early as prescribed in The Morning Miracle by Hal Elrod is a good thing, I'm really not using it to my benefit if I don't actually perform any worthwhile task during those early hours. Oh, sure, running two miles a day defiantly has a positive affect on my health but I'm really not doing much of anything else. 

Author Dan Miller suggests that if a person has a 15 hour a week side gig then 5 hours should be spent  learning, 5 hours should be spent reaching out to others, connecting with people, customers and clients. The remaining 5 hours should be spent marketing. I have to admit that I'm doing little of those things in the morning or at any other time of the day for that matter. It certainly stands to reason that by performing better in these realms then I would see a noticeable change in the state of my business. It all comes down to the choices I make on how to spend my time. 

Everyone spends their time doing something and I could be accused of spending most of my day on low priority tasks. It would appear I have the world at my finger tips as an artist, author, t-shirt salesman etc. and yet my sales are painfully low. If I'm honest with myself I can trace my poor performance to focusing more on the learning, as in Miller's assessment, by drawing most of the time without making connections or marketing that which I draw. Then there is planning of which I'm a master. Planning is also futile without actually doing any of the things I've planned. 

Most people would love to stay in their warm bed at 5:30 am and most people would prefer to do things that are enjoyable. I'm no different but I have to make the choice of being responsible for my circumstances or flutily wait to be discovered.