Productive writing in the midst of running a household and homeschooling my two kids challenges my mental discipline.
My to-do list grows by the minute. It’s easier to plan, rearranging the puzzle of my schedule than to simply get something – anything done. Somehow, removing an item from my list and rewriting the whole thing to look neater feels more like an accomplishment than taking care of what is on the list.
Kind of like the before and after of cleaning the kitchen sink or vacuuming the floor. Dirty. Clean.
But I can’t perpetually be making and remaking lists and expect to get anywhere. Touch up that story one more time. Tweek it here and there. At some point I have to hit the submit button.
Sometimes I just stare at the computer in front of me, lost in the land of “I don’t know where to start”.
Or I work on something (albeit it good) not on the list for the day. Take care of one more email. Check one more blog to comment on. One more piece of marketing to get done. Pin one more picture. Never really getting to what needs to be finished.
I have found a few things that help me avoid the unproductive monster.
· Make my plan the night before. Don’t allow myself the pleasure of “neatening” up the list until the day is done.
· Get up early to take care of the most important thing before my day gets noisy.
· Get dressed – before breakfast – to “go to work”
· Choose one thing that is a must accomplish task. Let everything else go if I have to.
· Have a fluid plan to allow for interruptions. They’re going to come, so allow for it and avoid the frustration that can make me stall.
· Take a nap. When I get tired sleep it off. I am more productive with an alert mind than with one half asleep.
· Be healthy: the best way to have enough energy for the day’s tasks. Eat right. Drink lots of water. Exercise. Get plenty of sleep.
Do you have any tips to help vanquish the Unproductive Monster?
photo credit: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/ Simon Howden
photo credit: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/ Simon Howden
great ideas for anyone, not just writers!