Photo by Fakelvis
I’m ready to write. My file is open, my fingers poised. But wait, I see the e-mail icon. I’m a dog and the bell just rang — watch me drool. I click to e-mail. Ah, it’s a good thing I did. That download I want to listen to will expire in four more hours. Better snag it! Hmm, while I have that folder open, I’ll slide it over to my Zen so I can listen later. Where did I put that thing? Oh yes — it’s in the kitchen.
As long as I’m in the kitchen, I think I’ll make a cup of tea. That will only take a minute, and tea helps me think while I write. Now, while I wait for the water to boil, I’ll unload the dishwasher. I didn’t get around to that earlier.
There, now my tea is too hot to drink, so I’ll take just a minute to put the cereal bowls in the washer, and now I’ll wipe the counters, and put the cinnamon away — Oops! crumbs on the spice shelf. I’ve been meaning to clean that mess, and it’s ant season. Better get to it!
Well, shucks. My tea’s cold. Oh well, I can drink it that way. Let’s get back to the writing.
“It’s for you!” Oh, that pesky phone.
“Hi Grandmama.”
“Hi Anna. How's my sweetie?” This call will take a few minutes, but in three blinks my tiny tot will be in college and I’ll never hear from her. Take it where you can get it.
“I’m hungry. Let’s have lunch.” I glance at my watch and head for the kitchen. We fix sandwiches and eat out on the deck. “I thought I’d go to Home Depot this afternoon. Wanna want to come along and pick up that paint you’ve been talking about?
“I need to write a blog post.”
“Can’t that wait until we get back?”
I guess it can. It’s waited this long. ...
Now I’m really ready. My fingers are poised, my mind is sharp. My mind will be even sharper if I work the daily crossword.
Omigosh! It’s nearly time to start supper. I’d better get this blog post written, because if I don’t, I’ll never get any writing done on the memoir project. Ten minutes. I’ll write for ten minutes! I promise me!
Now what was I going to write about? Oh yes, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to My Blog.
Write now: Make a list of all the things you do instead of writing. Keep track of them for a couple of days. Then tear up the list and write.
As long as I’m in the kitchen, I think I’ll make a cup of tea. That will only take a minute, and tea helps me think while I write. Now, while I wait for the water to boil, I’ll unload the dishwasher. I didn’t get around to that earlier.
There, now my tea is too hot to drink, so I’ll take just a minute to put the cereal bowls in the washer, and now I’ll wipe the counters, and put the cinnamon away — Oops! crumbs on the spice shelf. I’ve been meaning to clean that mess, and it’s ant season. Better get to it!
Well, shucks. My tea’s cold. Oh well, I can drink it that way. Let’s get back to the writing.
“It’s for you!” Oh, that pesky phone.
“Hi Grandmama.”
“Hi Anna. How's my sweetie?” This call will take a few minutes, but in three blinks my tiny tot will be in college and I’ll never hear from her. Take it where you can get it.
“I’m hungry. Let’s have lunch.” I glance at my watch and head for the kitchen. We fix sandwiches and eat out on the deck. “I thought I’d go to Home Depot this afternoon. Wanna want to come along and pick up that paint you’ve been talking about?
“I need to write a blog post.”
“Can’t that wait until we get back?”
I guess it can. It’s waited this long. ...
Now I’m really ready. My fingers are poised, my mind is sharp. My mind will be even sharper if I work the daily crossword.
Omigosh! It’s nearly time to start supper. I’d better get this blog post written, because if I don’t, I’ll never get any writing done on the memoir project. Ten minutes. I’ll write for ten minutes! I promise me!
Now what was I going to write about? Oh yes, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to My Blog.
Write now: Make a list of all the things you do instead of writing. Keep track of them for a couple of days. Then tear up the list and write.
9 comments :
Some days just aren't meant to be writing days, no matter how hard we try.
Cute post.
Thanks for the astute observation Shaddy. Freecell anyone? %-p
Karen, I think everyone has days like this. Ask around. I've deliberately never played Spider because I know what would happen. I occasionally get sucked into a Freecell or majohng binge. My fix of the moment is online crosswords.
I love it and can definitely relate. Writing a blog sometimes feels like walking a great dane. You go where it leads you. It takes a lot of effort to navigate around all those distractions. Thanks for an entertaining post!
Oh, Kathy, I love that simile. The closest I've come to a great dane is my daughter's greyhound. Even he is big enough to take charge. We joke that he doesn't go for a walk, he goes for a sniff-about, checking his "pee-mail."
Sharon, I can totally relate to this! I am an expert at finding other things to do rather than writing my blog post for that day:-)
But now I have learnt how to stop my distractions - I write my article first thing in the morning.
Sharon, some people are so disciplined, that nothing comes in their way. I have seen some religious people doing their routine..religiously that way.Let us face it, there is so much to do almost everyday. At least I am disciplined about one thing, first thing in the morning, I read some blogs. Maybe I will start writing every morning too. Dream on!!
Thanks for the reminder Smita. I know exactly what you mean. About thirty years ago I put together a time management workshop with the theme: "If you want to watch the tiger swallowtail alight on milkweed, you must save time to do it." Perhaps rather than save, I should have said TAKE.
I also love reading blogs, early, late, anytime. I have discovered the value of reaching for my journal first thing though. Coffee (or tea, depending), then my journal. I do this about five days a week, and write for at least 20 minutes. I've been doing this almost two years, so it's not a lifelong habit. It unclutters my mind enough that I probably save more time than I spend doing it.
Arvind,
Thanks for the sage advice. I do something similar. I write in my journal, and that often feeds into an article. And fortunately not all days are like this one I wrote about. :-)
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