Happy Friday, dear readers! Also, happy first day of spring! I don’t have much to say on the spring front other than I wish we’d get more rain in the Bay Area so that gardening can be a thing this year. But one thing that spring does make me think of is starting projects, both at home and at work, so I thought I’d share a few thoughts on projects today.

Although it should be self-evident, I like the reminder from Lifehacker that you can’t make time for more new projects without changing your priorities. Time really is the one non-negotiable constant in our lives and you can’t just cram more stuff in each day without something giving. It is really important, whether at work or at home, to determine what you can actually get done before taking on something new. No one wants to be the person that drops the ball on a project or is so stressed that they make others around them stressed. I think being mindful about your priorities and what you take on is key for maintaining (or creating) a balanced life that is challenging and rewarding.

Also, on that note, it is said a lot, but is worth repeating that stressing yourself out by running around like a chicken with your head cut off doing too much is not helping anyone. There should be no guilt attached to actually prioritizing time to rest, to recharge, and to read something that isn’t related to work. I always think it is sad when my fellow librarians are too busy and tired to read for fun, something that probably led us into the world of working with books in the first place.

This new year has been a year of many projects, especially research projects for me. It has seemed like all opportunities got dropped in my lap at once so I’m having to be very disciplined about timelines and deadlines for each project. Could I take on another one at this point? Not without seriously compromising the quality on the other projects I’m doing. I have to remind myself, and I’m sure others do too, that it’s okay to say no. Better say no than not be able to follow through for your project team.

To me the topic of projects is always tied to creativity because I think we can be creative in most of our work. I wanted to share this other article from Lifehacker on five creativity myths. While I don’t agree with everything in the article, overall it is a good reminder that creative people aren’t just born that way and the rest of us are out of luck. We can all do things to up our creative minds so we can add new twists and ideas to our projects. I think about this all the time when working on graphic design projects at work or when I’m trying to figure out how to best conduct a study for a research project. Have fun and don’t let the naysayers of the creative world get you down.

And because it is the first day of spring, I had to share a Joy the Baker recipe that says spring to me: classic lemon bars! I made these a few weeks ago and they were delicious. Her cream cheese pound cake recipe is also fantastic with some homemade jam as a spring time tea treat.

I hope you have a wonderful day and weekend, dear readers! I’ll be back soon with some more news and notes.