For me, Edie and David hit the nail on the head in their posts. Like David, I have no official full-time job, yet I can fritter away entire mornings and afternoons without ever managing to tackle the most important task of the day: writing. Only recently did I consciously decide to switch up my routine and start with the writing. So far, the results have been mixed. But in my case, mixed is better than nothing!
Related to this, like Edie, I find the more unstructured time I have, the less I get accomplished — not only with writing. Lists and daily goals work to some extent, but it’s embarrassing to admit how often it’s time to go pick up Ben at school and realizing I haven’t even looked at my writing goal for the day! In my defense, the “frittered” time is taken up with chores and errands (I’m not a total slacker!) but it’s still frustrating. You can’t accomplish a goal if you don’t even remember you have one! That’s what I mean by embarrassing.
My plan? Keep making lists and setting goals. Do my writing early in the day before distractions suck away the hours. Cherish each small step and continue working on my craft whenever I can, for as long as I can, every day.
That’s the plan. I’ll let you know how it goes.
7 comments:
Wow, that clock is huge! Sorry about that. I don't know how to remove a picture and/or re-size it once I've uploaded it. Any advice would be appreciated!!
Mark,
I think it's a perfect image for your post! And, as you know, I empathize with what you have to say. I think if you can set aside your most productive time of the day for writing (whether it's first thing in the morning or another hour during the day), that will work. I used to be a "morning" writer, but now I'm finding my most productive time is from about 4-6 PM in my cabin. I like being in there as the sun sets.
Mark, I am glad you re-defined "frittering". What has to be done for family, home-life, and loved ones is so important, but so is writing. Making a time each day to write and sticking to it is most important for mind-peace at the end of the day. When his kids were little, the poet William Stafford would rise at 4 AM to write in the quiet of the early morning. When his daughter (son?) got wind of it and began to rise at 4, just to be with him, he switched his alarm to 3 AM. Shifting with the needs, yours and your households.
I like the clock, reminds me of how much I waste time. You and I are in the same boat. Seriously, today I've been in this chair for a couple hours and still have not written, ugh....
Here's what I meant to say.
I, too, love the clock, Mark. I think it's just the right size for the post. I like thinking about the word frittering because it reminds me of fritters, a food I always enjoy. I think there are all kinds of activities that go into being a writer, and paying attention to these things can often help with putting details into a story.
So many of us writers share these exact same struggles, Mark. Every day I have to remind myself to prioritize - what do I really want to do with my day? What, in the end, is going to make me feel the happiest, most satisfied? It sounds like such a simple thing to do...but it's not. Being gentle with ourselves when we don't meet the day's goals is also a good thing. We get another chance tomorrow!
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