Happy New Year

 

Wishing you all a very healthy, happy, prosperous and far less stressful 2021 than we've witnessed in 2020. As this new year dawns, I will be praying for peace, strength and well-being for all of you, in both your personal and writing lives. May this be a year of great productivity, great passion and newfound motivation and perseverance. 

Cheers to all!

Leftovers

Do you like leftovers? I am not so much a fan typically. Lately, however, my life seems to involve a lot of leftovers; at least, my writing life seems to be getting a lot of the leftovers--of time, energy, etc.

I've often spoken previously of my need for an organized life and work zone in order to be functional and productive.  I do frequently feel the need to complete all I want/need to accomplish in a day before moving on to fit writing into the leftover time--and energy which is often nil.  So, how does one cultivate the mindset to do the opposite, especially as the chaos of the holidays is quickly approaching?

Good question, you might say! For me, I am going to:

1) Prioritize what MUST get completed during a given day and tackle that quickly.
2) Keep my to-do list reasonable and move things that are not essential to a later time or get rid of them altogether.
3) Make time to write and to hell with the clutter, laundry and dirty dishes during that time.
4) Enjoy my reading time and don't feel guilty about it. After all, it is important for writers to read.
5) Try to get enough sleep and eat well.
6) Make time to exercise and say my daily prayers as both keep my mind sane.
7) Spend quality time with my family as this is, ultimately, the most important part of life.

And, finally...

8) Save some time and eat the dang leftovers rather than cooking a new meal on occasion!

How about you? Care to share some of your best time management strategies in the face of a crazy holiday season?

So, my last post was about lack of time versus lack of direction. Clearly, I've suffered both lack of time and direction as of late as it has been a month since my last post. I could make all the normal excuses...family vacations, getting ready for the return to school and work, taking my daughter to school for the start of her freshman year in college, preparing to send my oldest off for her senior year in college, etc. And all are true. And all have impacted my writing time. Or shall I say I have allowed all to impact my writing time. I have very much enjoyed my family focused time this summer and feel somewhat renewed but know it is high time to kick it into gear and get busy again.

Most imminent are finalizing edits on my current WIPs and preparing for our regional SCBWI conference in September as well as getting back to regularly reading and blogging. 

How about you? Did you find yourself veering off course this summer? If so, I hope you enjoyed the diversions and also feel a sense of renewal; however, I would love to hear your strategies for re-grouping and getting back on course for better productivity and writing focus. Please, if you are so inclined, do share what works for you.

Happy writing all!