Peg Herring's Blog - Posts Tagged "scheduling"
Tis the Season...to NOT
It's time to share what I hate about the Christmas season, and I make no excuses for it.
I hate decorating. In late fall my friends and acquaintances start talking about "doing" the house, some with anticipation, some with resignation. I refuse. I don't like the clutter, I don't enjoy the disruption, and I see no reason to turn my house into a wannabe Wal-Mart.
I realize this might put me in the grinch category, but otherwise I do okay. I arrange and conduct a huge Christmas concert for my town every year. I support causes and caring during holiday drives. I work to find just the right present for everyone on my list. I even enjoy the holiday decorations put up by businesses, municipalities and ambitious homeowners. I just don't like decorating my own house.
That's one cool thing about being a writer: I can say "I don't have time to decorate. I have a deadline." And everyone tiptoes away.
I hate decorating. In late fall my friends and acquaintances start talking about "doing" the house, some with anticipation, some with resignation. I refuse. I don't like the clutter, I don't enjoy the disruption, and I see no reason to turn my house into a wannabe Wal-Mart.
I realize this might put me in the grinch category, but otherwise I do okay. I arrange and conduct a huge Christmas concert for my town every year. I support causes and caring during holiday drives. I work to find just the right present for everyone on my list. I even enjoy the holiday decorations put up by businesses, municipalities and ambitious homeowners. I just don't like decorating my own house.
That's one cool thing about being a writer: I can say "I don't have time to decorate. I have a deadline." And everyone tiptoes away.
Appearing Tomorrow!
Got an email on Wednesday saying how happy the West Branch, MI, library is that I am coming on Saturday from 10:00-2:00 for their annual Author Day. Problem: I'd forgotten all about it.
Luckily, I hadn't booked the day somewhere else, and I can and will make it to West Branch. But it scares me that I remember getting their request and saying I would come and then I somehow failed to write it on my calendar.
Of course it's overload. There is so much to do these days with promotion that every writer needs a publicist , a secretary, or even a teenager with computer skills. But there's no money for that, so we struggle along alone, keeping track of dates, books sold, manuscripts submitted, agents queried, libraries contacted, donations made, all the while trying to have somewhat normal lives.
Oh, and we need to be writing books, as well.
Luckily, I hadn't booked the day somewhere else, and I can and will make it to West Branch. But it scares me that I remember getting their request and saying I would come and then I somehow failed to write it on my calendar.
Of course it's overload. There is so much to do these days with promotion that every writer needs a publicist , a secretary, or even a teenager with computer skills. But there's no money for that, so we struggle along alone, keeping track of dates, books sold, manuscripts submitted, agents queried, libraries contacted, donations made, all the while trying to have somewhat normal lives.
Oh, and we need to be writing books, as well.
Five Minutes of Your Time
It always turns into a lot more. A quick note from a librarian: "Can you send us infor on your historical costume?" No sweat, I think. But suddenly half an hour is gone. And I could add....NO! Time to move on.
It's true that things expand to fit the time allotted for them, but it's also true that things just expand. Nothing happens as quickly as I think it will when I sit down in this chair.
So here's my theory. Time is bendable, and the Internet has bent it double. Therefore it takes twice the time you expected to get anything done. That's it!
Or it could be all Facebook's fault. Silly videos! Well, maybe one more.
It's true that things expand to fit the time allotted for them, but it's also true that things just expand. Nothing happens as quickly as I think it will when I sit down in this chair.
So here's my theory. Time is bendable, and the Internet has bent it double. Therefore it takes twice the time you expected to get anything done. That's it!
Or it could be all Facebook's fault. Silly videos! Well, maybe one more.
I Love a Schedule...And I Don't
I'm just a tad compulsive when it comes to getting things done. I admit to lists everywhere and, yes, I'll admit to putting things on my lists that I've already done, just for the satisfaction of crossing them off.
I write on a schedule, Monday-Saturday, usually from 6:30 a.m. until something else demands my time, up to lunch. What I write on those mornings changes. On Mondays I do business-related stuff, but the rest of the week I work on the current novel. At odd times I catch up on non-fiction writing stuff, like a newsletter I do for a local group and blog posts for guesting on other bloggers' sites.
Afternoons are spent on the rest of life, although I've been known to continue through the day when a book is coming together. Evenings are my time to edit. While I can seldom compose at that time of day, I can reread and correct structural and grammatical mistakes.
I also have a schedule for the rest of life, which my kids make gentle fun of from time to time. I like to do all the household chores on Monday: laundry, cleaning, and other maintenance work. The rest of the week I choose my chores according to my mood and the weather. Gardening, lawn work, and maintaining outbuildings are summer work, and closet-cleaning and clerical upkeep are for days when outside isn't inviting. I have (yet another) list from which I choose what sounds doable to me on a given day.
Do I sound like an overly organized person? Maybe, but I doubt that I am. If someone says, "Let's do lunch" or "Let's drive to ______ today," I'm more than willing to toss the schedule aside. Yes, there are all those lists, but that's the purpose of writing it down: I can forget it today and pick it up again sometime in the future.
I write on a schedule, Monday-Saturday, usually from 6:30 a.m. until something else demands my time, up to lunch. What I write on those mornings changes. On Mondays I do business-related stuff, but the rest of the week I work on the current novel. At odd times I catch up on non-fiction writing stuff, like a newsletter I do for a local group and blog posts for guesting on other bloggers' sites.
Afternoons are spent on the rest of life, although I've been known to continue through the day when a book is coming together. Evenings are my time to edit. While I can seldom compose at that time of day, I can reread and correct structural and grammatical mistakes.
I also have a schedule for the rest of life, which my kids make gentle fun of from time to time. I like to do all the household chores on Monday: laundry, cleaning, and other maintenance work. The rest of the week I choose my chores according to my mood and the weather. Gardening, lawn work, and maintaining outbuildings are summer work, and closet-cleaning and clerical upkeep are for days when outside isn't inviting. I have (yet another) list from which I choose what sounds doable to me on a given day.
Do I sound like an overly organized person? Maybe, but I doubt that I am. If someone says, "Let's do lunch" or "Let's drive to ______ today," I'm more than willing to toss the schedule aside. Yes, there are all those lists, but that's the purpose of writing it down: I can forget it today and pick it up again sometime in the future.
