time management

Here we are in the week between year-end holidays and, if we’re lucky, we are on holiday between Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. For years, I worked and envied those who were off, but for several years now, my time has been my own and I feel sorry for those who have to squeeze holiday “days” into work life. In addition, my children are grown and gone, although I am grateful for their visits and welcome them as often as they have time and are willing to come. My thoughts turn to writing, but…what happens next?

I suffer from what my late mother used to describe as “having eyes bigger than my tummy.” This no longer applies to food, although I admit to overeating at this time of year. Now, it applies to goals. In the past, I’ve planned to finish A and B and C and make a start on D. Of course, I never completed my list, leaving me frustrated. This year, I’m going with the flow—writing daily without “must finish” deadlines, and enjoying my process. Today’s Boxing Day (Tues., Dec. 26), and I’ve been writing this way since last Friday (Dec. 22). I’ve found my rhythm, I’m accomplishing more, and I’m enjoying it more (the true test). Why don’t you join me?

I recently returned from a fabulous trip to Ireland and England. I didn’t manage to get to Scotland (land of my birth), but maybe next time. Our group of teachers and librarians focused on literature—children’s literature in particular—although we managed to take in other literary spots along the way. The group, known as Nye Travelers, not only “does the sights,” but talks to children’s authors and illustrators about their work. So fabulous.

We visited so many wonderful places and were “going” from morning to night. Many of us shared rooms, meaning very little or no time alone during the day. At night, we fell in our beds, exhausted in a good way. It was an amazing journey.

Summer may be the time for rejuvenation and new experiences, but, as a writer, I need to “keep going” with that, too. My solution was to take a pile of needed edits with me. As the day began or ended, I found a few minutes alone to work on an edit or two when there was no way I’d find a block of time to write. It was a great way to keep my work front and center, even as I filled my head with new thoughts, experiences, and sights. I came home with my work still active in my head and was able to go back to my usual writing routine with hardly a hitch. In fact, coming back meant coming west, with jet lag making me wake at 3 am for several days. I simply got up and wrote earlier than usual—a bonus.

[Photo: I took this in the Lake District, England]

Writing Time: Perception vs. Reality

Traveling and Keeping Up with Writing