The Goat Dance of Life
September 25, 2007 by Anne Wayman
Filed under Jobs
There was a time when I had a full time job, raised three kids and got an occasional bit of writing done… I don’t know how I did it. Seriously.
The major item on my to do list today was to work on the book or ebook that will go with the teleclass about getting your book written. I can’t move forward with the class until that ebook is, if not done, at least close to done. So I opened the file.
Then I remembered a letter from the IRS I’d put aside until today. So I read that and although it was good news, it meant a call to my tax guy. Part of that call included getting a go-ahead to borrow $1,000 from my credit union to put into that savings account to begin to rebuild credit.
I filled out the loan app faxed it over, and, per instructions, called them. That resulted in a fairly long conversation and an appointment in an hour to sign papers. Signing the papers took about 45 minutes and then I stopped to look at an open house on the way home.
Since I was into financial stuff, I decided to assemble and mail the documentation so TransUnion could send me my credit report – they don’t seem to know who I am.
In about 20 minutes I attend Mark Silver’s teleclass for a couple of hours.
Now, in my own defense, I did get a couple of concepts for the ebook down in a way that will allow me to recapture them, and that’s progress… but not nearly as much as I’d hoped.
My question is, how did I get it all done when I had a full time job? Maybe I didn’t, but I’m always amazed at how much time the stuff of life, like banking, and shopping, and going to the doctor and car repair always take.
Maybe I need an assistant. How do you get life’s details handled while you’re writing?
Write well and often,
Wow, it’s like you just peeped into my life! I’m a freelance writer, too. How did you get it all done while working full time? Weekends…nights….
I use a trick I learned from Todd Henry of The Accidental Creative (a must-bookmark site for all creative types). Todd advises us to start every day with the Top Three: three things that I *will* get done by the end of this day, no matter what pops up. It works best when these items are as bite-sized as possible: write 3 pages, call one person, do 30 minutes of research on a new topic. And if I get it all done by noon, then I pat myself on the back and add one more item to the list.
Rachel -That makes sense… how does he suggest truly important things that pop up unplanned?
Anne – good question. Obviously important things will pop up unexpected; I think the key is to take care of what’s urgent and then get back on track, instead of letting the one critical issue lead to numerous trivial ones. (Example: Oh, I’ve got to pay my electric bill today! … While I’m at it, let me take care of the bills due next week …)
Life gets in the way, doesn’t it? My afternoon is filled with errands and phone calls not related to work. How the heck did we ever get anything done at a 9-to-5??
Rachel – that makes sense… it’s the getting back on track that can be a problems sometimes… good thought.
Lori – you’d think I’d remember how I did it, but I don’t… maybe that’s just as well.