A season of distractions is upon us. And distractions can be a writer\u2019s nemeses. It\u2019s not enough that we must try to write when there are others in the household at least periodically requiring our attention\u2014\u201cMom, can I go play at Brittany\u2019s house?\u201d \u201cHoney, where do we keep the peanut butter?\u201d or \u201cHi, neighbor\u2014wanna hear some gossip?\u201d <\/p>\n
Some of us have pets that require attention, phones that ring off the hook, dishes piling up in the sink, committee members or colleagues who want a moment of our time and an active social life. <\/p>\n
Of course, there are routine things that distract us\u2014our daily meditation, our work out, meal preparation, errand-running trips and so forth.<\/p>\n
Now add to this the hustle-bustle of the holidays\u2014meals to plan, shopping to do, lists to make, additional events and activities, guests coming in (so more attention to housecleaning detail), meal preparation\u2026 You know the drill. It happens every year. It seems that we just get back to serious work after a busy summer and the Thanksgiving\/Christmas holidays begin to intrude in an already busy writing life.<\/p>\n
Maybe we can get some ideas from each other as to how to maintain a good writing pace despite the distractions. Please leave your comment here.<\/p>\n
For me, it is in the mindset. If I have to (or decide to) take time off, I must justify it in my mind\u2014sort of give myself permission. When I realize that I work most weekends, it becomes easier to allow myself a day off during the week to shop, make Christmas gifts, visit with out-of-town guests or whatever. I do many of my holiday tasks after hours\u2014write Christmas cards, work on my holiday gift list, plan menus and grocery lists, and so forth. For me, the mindset is important so that I will pour myself into whatever activity I am pursuing and enjoy it. If I feel torn\u2014that I really should be writing\u2014I just make myself miserable. I figure that if I make the decision to leave my writing room in order to pursue a different activity, I ought to embrace it\u2014enjoy it. If I face the activity with regret and resentment\u2014wishing I was writing, instead\u2014there is no joy in what should be a joyful activity.<\/p>\n
Another way I have adjusted so that I can have my cake and eat it too is, we invested in an artificial Christmas tree. This way I can do the decorating any time of the month without worrying about the tree wilting before Christmas day. There is no longer a tight schedule with regard to putting up the tree. That has removed a huge burden. (Why have a tree at all? We have our family Christmas in my home. Plus we still have small grandchildren.)<\/p>\n
I also plan to buy our fresh turkey dinner already prepared for Thanksgiving this year and just add some of our favorites\u2014sweet potato casserole, fresh-baked pies, etc. This will save tons of time and stress as we will be serving around 20 this year.<\/p>\n
How do you approach this busy season? Have you cut back on holiday activities since you started writing? Do you give yourself permission to pursue those things you have always loved doing this time of year? Have you established a different schedule to accommodate your writing project? Have you had to change your mindset to get through the holidays?<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.patriciafry.com<\/a> A season of distractions is upon us. And distractions can be a writer\u2019s nemeses. It\u2019s not enough that we must try to write when there are others in the household at least periodically requiring our attention\u2014\u201cMom, can I go play at Brittany\u2019s house?\u201d \u201cHoney, where do we keep the peanut butter?\u201d or \u201cHi, neighbor\u2014wanna hear […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"