Sunday 11 April 2010

Cleaning the cobwebs

Cobwebs are those little motivational things that sometimes go missing. All sorts of reasons can be found, kids, life, work, weather, you, mental interferences, but...

there is you.

YOu have to find the times where you can take priority. Doesn't matter how long they are but they have to be about you. We all need me-time and for me that means probably putting my mind to writing. Some people have the luxury of more time than others, and probably appreciate the me-time less than those with lots of outside influences pressing them.

In the days when I had all those interferences, my time was in the early quiet times of the morning. The only movement in the house apart from me, would be the rise and fall of sleeping chests both big and small. Even the dog would be curled up fast asleep, at my feet.

Nowadays they are all grown up, and I alone have been left an eternal kid in this household. I do have more time and have to make sure I don't waste it. So what do I do?

I am finding the treadmill does create the right positive juices. It works. Really works. Exercise is good for you as a writer. We are so sedentary we writers. Our little botties can stretch to bigness unless we do and that can lead to depression. So get out of your chairs and do a few minutes of Jane Fonda like workouts. Or follow my example. Thirty minutes of mildly fast walking every day.

1,2,3,4 and 1,2,3,4...

Saturday 3 April 2010

My To-Do List

It seems, no matter how hard I try, my to-do list never gets any shorter. If anything, it's a case of one step forward, and two steps back.

Today I had a really productive workday. I finally got all my tax stuff together, so I can call my accountant to arrange a meeting. I filled out an IRS form for one of my US publishers. I finished a proofreading job, and got my groceries ordered online. I did a load of laundry and made a scrumptious chicken stew for dinner. I had a nice long chat with my mother. A good day!

But I look at my to-do list, and for every one thing I accomplished today, there are two more waiting to be done. And it's only very far down the list that I get to something that bears a resemblance to writing my own stuff. I'm not making excuses for not doing my own writing--honest, I'm not. It gets mightily frustrating to have characters yelling at you inside your head to get a move on, and new ideas foaming over waiting to be used.

Perhaps I need to be a little less "responsible", and let some of the day to day chores wait while I focus creating for a while. I'm afraid though, how quickly my home and my life would dissolve into chaos. Sigh...I guess the only solution is to try and find some kind of balance between the two. And to realize that every day, no matter what gets accomplished, is a good day.