I've been struggling recently to find enough time in the day. Intermittently, I've found a bit of time here or there to start a new ms, edit a current WIP or submit a story to a targeted magazine or publisher. All too often, however, I've ended up feeling like a hamster on the perpetual wheel of life which just keeps spinning and spinning.
At the start of the summer, I made a long list of things I wanted to accomplish over the course of the summer. Nothing too major; I was sure I could cross off the items, one by one. Simple things like following up on manuscripts previously sent out, work on current projects and starting new ones for which I had what I thought to be great ideas. As the days and weeks of summer have ticked by, I now find myself looking at about two and half weeks left prior to the start of school. YIKES! My list is only half (if even) complete. Where did the time go?
Hmmm...baseball and softball tournaments, tennis matches, vacations, work, fun with kids, etc. All good things, mind you, but also things which take me away from my computer quite often.
So, today, I was thinking of ways to dedicate a doable amount of time each morning to just writing and nothing else. Something I have often talked of doing, swore I would do and yet have not.
I happened to glance at my calendar to see what is on the schedule for the next day or two before we head out for one last family vacation prior to the start of the high school tennis season and school, and I saw these words...
"I value my time. I choose to use it wisely and do not let others steal it from me."
Could it be that simple? I think so. My new mission is to really value my time in action as much as I do in thought.
If you have words of wisdom and strategies that work for you, please feel free to share. All will benefit!
Hi Karin, I beat myself up all the time for not writing and advancing my writing career. But I've decided to stop beating myself up because I do write, nearly every single day. If I create a new chapter, page or paragraph in a new or existing ms then I've successfully written something. If I've created a blog entry, facebook post or Twitter tweet, I've written something. When I think about it I do a lot of creative writing throughout the day, perhaps I simply need to channel the focus into one project to see significant progress. So, maybe I will tweet on Tuesdays, update facebook on Fridays, enter blog posts on Saturdays and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays I will write and on Sundays I will rest.
ReplyDeleteI think you are so right, Marilyn! I often get so caught up in not completing ALL I set out to do that I miss the little things I did accomplish. I like your idea of designating different days for different things...might have to give that a try. Thanks for the idea and stopping by. I hope you are well!
ReplyDeleteKarin