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| glorious spring hedgerows; the cow parsley is perfect right now |
The consensus round here is that the Easter break has flown by in a flash. And yet how quickly I get used to the no-school routine. I do think that I'll have to work out how to fit in some writing time come the summer holidays though; I've been totally unproductive for the two weeks of Easter. But oh it's been blissful. Blue skies and balmy temperatures.
I've had to go round outside watering things it's been so dry. The children have spent hours at the skatepark, which they only do when it's completely dry. They are a mass of bruises and cuts and scrapes. They need to go back to school to give their knees a chance to heal.
There are three months (ish) until the summer break now, and I really want to make the most of them and find a writing routine. And a direction. There are so many directions I could take I feel as though I'm in the middle spinning round and round and not going anywhere. And it's very easy to lose hours in the day to other things - hanging the washing out, whipping the duster round, knocking up a quick asparagus quiche. I am very easily distracted.
I would like to be one of those people who does so much you don't know how they fit it all in. Instead I am the sort of person who gets to the end of the day and thinks, oh, where did all the time go? Do you have any productivity tips you'd care to share? I'd be very happy to hear them. CJ xx
I think you are plenty productive CJ. Getting into a routine for working at home is not easy, I get distracted by anything really. When I work at home, I break the time up into smallish chunks, maybe 30 minutes of work, then hang the washing up, another 30 minutes of work etc. I can do that because I gain time by not commuting. Short bursts of activity work best for me. When I am in the office, it is more difficult but I still work in short bursts, I just don't hang the washing out, but maybe wander up and down the stairs a few times instead. Also, being productive is not always visible, a lot of my work time is spent reading and consolidating in my head what I have read. For the past three weeks I have been working on a course plan (ten weeks of teaching) and I have produced two measly pages of notes for it. No doubt writing is similar, a lot of it happens in your head when you are actually rolling out the pastry for the asparagus quiche. I was just thinking that I fit a lot in my days but I think it is because I have ants in my pants and I am very good at ignoring the chores and the children.
ReplyDeleteIt has been dry for a few days here also. No need to water yet and I think the weather is going to break. Wishing you a lovely week xx
I always enjoy your blog, and I think you have a talent for writing For a lot of years I wrote. I belonged to a writing group and we would meet and share whatever we were working on. Sometimes I think it helps to write/aim for something specific - for example I'd submit something to a local or free paper, or enter a writing competition, it helps you focus. I took some creative writing classes some at university some locally, which forced me to write regularly and complete a specific assignment. It is hard to set aside a regular time to write. I do wish you well. I think it is a process, you more you write the more focused you become--- Just studying someone's writing is a useful exercise too. I often do that with a chlldren's picture book, I look at it from a writer's point of view, how its constructed, what the opening is, etc.
ReplyDeleteReally great tips and suggestions, thank you, they are very much appreciated. CJ xx
DeleteIf you can find a place away from home to go to write and treat it like a part time job in terms of the hours spent there, that might help. Even a room in a friend's house could work, if they go out to work. I used to go to my parent's house and use one of the bedrooms in this way many years ago.
ReplyDeleteYou are a busy lady, and it's hard to squeeze the writing in too. May I suggest you start really small and set your alarm clock just fifteen minutes early. Have a pen and notebook beside your bed, or your laptop etc Then get going immediately. Use a timer, mobile phones have good ones. Stop when it goes off and feel proud you have done your daily writing.
ReplyDeleteIf you do this throughout the week days, following on each time, you'll have written for over an hour and you'll have the beginnings of something too. If you're unsure what to write, I'd suggest a writing prompt to get you going.
Choose a random sentence from a book, just open a page and have the first line of dialogue or the sixth sentence, write it down and follow on.
Start small, and you will find your back brain thinks about what you've written all day, and you might even find yourself spending more than fifteen minutes some mornings. Give it a try...start tomorrow and drop by my blog and let me know how you get on. Remember, from small acorns, great oak trees grow.
Thank you Maria, your advice and ideas are always very welcome. I'll give it a try and let you know how it goes. Thank you again, CJ xx
DeleteHi CJ, I agree with other tips you've got but to add my own too :-) I like you am easily distracted and never acknowledge how much I've actually achieved so this is what I now do and it's working not just for my writing but across my life. First 3 days don't try to physically write!
ReplyDelete1) The night before I write a list of everything I want to do next day with expected time it will take. 1a) Break jobs down - make beds = strip beds, sort mattress, sheets/pillowcases off/on, duvet cover off/on. Bedding in laundry. This breakdown focuses your mind and when you tick off list, put how long job really took you really see where time has gone. Include breaks for coffee/tea, food.
While doing each job don't try to think about writing but let thoughts drift where they will.
End of day one check the list is everything achieved? If not why? Did you save any time? If yes be aware of where/how. Day two repeat and day three but tonight list includes set aside writing time. Those minutes you gained on jobs + a specified short time 30 mins max. Find a working space (if poss one that can stay set up). Keep telling yourself this time will be for working only. When you come to start working NO distractions phone, ignore it ringing unless positive it's an emergency. Only write until alarm goes off (like exam). Doing this I found that by the end of the first week I could start writing as soon as I was in place. During other times I had ideas forming that I could jot down in my saved minutes. Slowly build up the time that you give to writing, keep listing too. It's a way of keeping a check on your time. You calculate financial outgoings, calculate your outgoings of time in the same way it's just as vital. Good luck.
Lucy, thank you so much for your comment, I love your suggestions and I'll definitely give it a try. I shall make tomorrow's list right away. I was just thinking earlier that it would be nice to have a permanent writing spot. Alas I don't think it's possible. I am on the dining table and I need to clear away for meal times. But I shall try your idea of fitting in 30 minutes of writing and doing nothing else during that time. Also of calculating outgoings of time. Thank you. CJ xx
DeleteThere is half term in those three months to contend with too. I think it's just that other people seem to be organised - they maybe think you are the most organised person they know. I tend to concentrate on the things that have to be done first and fit other things in - like housework - when I can.
ReplyDeleteI'm not surprised that you're having to water, I am as well. Apparently it was the driest winter for twenty years, and it's been a dry spring as well.
ReplyDeleteI strive to do less better, not that I always achieve it. xx
With 3 boys I don't know how you find the time to do half the things you do. With no kids at home I still find that the time still runs away from me.
ReplyDeleteOoh, you've got some great tips here. I was going to suggest making a list of what you want to accomplish. Ticking things off a big list is soooo satisfying. I always have a list on the go. I love the idea of going elsewhere to write and treating it like a job- great stuff! Ps- you've made me want asparagus quiche now. xx
ReplyDeleteYou are probably very productive CJ but don't give yourself credit for all you do. Like you I always run out of day before running out of jobs - where does the time go? A friend of mine who works from home keeps to a 'work routine' which involves walking round the block as the children go to school (she calls it her walk to work) then going straight into her office ignoring the house, 40 minute break for lunch for a quick bite and tidy up then back to work until the children come home. I am in awe of her as she is a super mum with two lovely children and a successful designer.
ReplyDeletenothing to add in the tip department -- there are some really good ones here. the main thing is finding what works for *you* and for what else you need to get done in a day.
ReplyDeleteas mothers/women, i think we tend to underestimate exactly how much time it takes to run a household/raise children...and there really are only 24 hours in a day and a good chunk of that needs to be used for sleeping. ;)
i used to think i needed great swathes of time to write (because, before children, i could have that) and found it VERY hard to adjust to my 20 minutes here and there...but i did eventually get used to it and i think it made me more productive in the end. sometimes i can bang out a 1000 words in a half hour stretch, probably because i know i've only got that half hour.
of course, that's when i'm actually putting my backside in the chair....:) xoxo
I also think you accomplish a lot as of now.. but for writing encouragement.. can you join or start a writing club? Once a week you could get together with other writers and encourage each other? Also can you take a writing class at a community college or adult learning center? How about just writing your own children's book.. and with your calligraphy talent you could illustrate it too. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
ReplyDeleteThe Easter break sounds dreamy, bruises and all. Summer Break is crazy close for us -- he gets out May 25, send help. send structure and productivity to my teenager.
ReplyDeleteCJ, I'm not a writter and have no particular advice except be kind on yourself. I look forward to hearing more as you find new ways to operate and reach your goals.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the routine is about understanding what might work best for you and then, as Stephen King suggests, developing a set of little rituals around your writing (a bit like the habitual way we do things at bedtime or first thing in the morning). Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm pretty productive most days but I still find myself losing a lot of time on minutia that nobody else seems to want to deal with. I think my routine is the main thing keeping me sane most days, though, so I definitely recommend that for anyone who wants it. Back when I was active on parenting message boards, I used to make myself do a list of tasks before I could sit down and use the computer. Like: empty the dishwasher, fold and put away a load of laundry, clean the toilet. Then I could sit down and rot my brain in the mom forums. I should have just cleaned more toilets. :)
ReplyDeleteYou always sound very productive to me but I know how you feel as I'm often the same. Day to day I often wonder what I have done but when I look back I seem to do quite a bit. I swear by lists... Lots of list!
ReplyDeleteI am quite good at using time and my key tip is to delegate and not worry too much about the quality of the outcome - Shit happens! Andy cooks tea every Friday and it is mostly awful but I stay away from the kitchen and have an hour to do something else. The kids sort socks, make their own sandwiches etc. When you let go of obeing in charge of some things you get loads of time back I have found out. Ps. I love your earth day photo. Jo x
ReplyDeleteRecently read somewhere to beware of the emptiness of a too busy life. Your boys will very soon be young guys and leaving ... I don't think anyone regrets, when that time comes, that they spent their energy and time being an involved parent.
ReplyDeleteI am a bit like you and can get easily distracted especially if I see something in the garden that needs doing. It is so much more exciting than housework! Those are some great tips you have been given. You also should try writing when you are most productive. I always find mornings are best for me! Hope you have already cleared some time to start this exciting project. Sarah x
ReplyDeleteI'm late commenting because I am generally all over the shop and easily distracted too! Great suggestions in previous comments. I wholeheartedly agree with Jo's suggestion of delegating. I've certainly been guilty of trying to do everything myself perfectly ('if you want something doing...') but getting the kids perhaps to cook a meal, sort laundry, clean the lounge, etc, certainly frees up some time. Harder to do when your kids are small but my three quite like being asked to take charge of getting dinner or something (not all together, though - that would end in disaster! They do sometimes one day each). I am highly organised when I have paid work on but hopelessly random when I don't... Good luck, hang in there. Lovely pics. Sam x
ReplyDeleteI will share my tip with you, and it might sound a bit mental, but I set the timer on my phone. I have two hours to myself before I go to work at 11am and, so that our weekends can remain free-ish, I try to get admin, washing, housework and shopping done in those hours. I am so easily distracted it's not true, and can waste half an hour flicking through instagram while drinking a coffee. But if you are time pressured, you do things twice as fast. Ten minutes to strip and change the beds - beep! Ten minutes to vacuum - beep! You get the picture. Seriously, rushing around and knowing that I have to leave at 10.50 (luckily I have a very short commute) makes me crack on. Trouble is, when I get to work I'm knackered.
ReplyDeleteI'm not mental really, honest.
This has been me of late, and I came to the realisation today that every so often this "fallow" time is needed, even if we don't realise it until it comes to an end. It's like giving our selves chance to be still instead of always feeling like we should be progressing forwards. It's OK to stay still once in a while. It's necessary. Direction and progress is sometimes over rated - it'll happen gently for you when it's the right time, of that I have no doubt. xxxxxxxxxx
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