I think though, honestly, you already know what to do. As you said, you knowingly sign yourself for way too many things. Why rush? Have you ever heard of sayings that go something like, “Play fast, but don’t rush”? It seems to me sometimes you are rushing to get somewhere. Rather, you should be working fast to get somewhere, but you still have a very balanced act. I always think that a person can only have 2-3 major focuses at any given time in his/her life.

Here is a big insight from what you wrote, “competing demands on my time for all the things I must do”. MUST? Are they really all MUST? Surely, only one or two items are either must or very close. The others are what you perceive as must, but can wait to start happening at a later date.

It is much simpler to do one thing and do it well than try to be good at million different things. Could you even imagine trying to be good at million different things?

Now, try to imagine becoming good at just one or two things. Yes, life is much more simpler this way.

I think the problem is… deep down you want to excel in everything and try to do everything all at once… thus, you never really are able to truly apply yourself fully to anything. yes, this sounds harsh, especially for someone as successful and talented as you. this is because I think you will achieve much more if you just choose to stick with a few things.

When I look at your skill set and your passions as I see it… you should always have some focus on a) writing b) something that pays the bills c) whatever else you want to add here. You need to drop or reduce the time demands on everything else.

Cheers!
MC