The Downhill Roll from Deadline

Last week, I finished a book–finally!!–and I found myself with a few days off.  I had a solid plan for those few days:  I was going to knock off some chores and get a running jump on the next project.  Here was my Monday chore list:

Pay bills

clean office

do laundry

get out Christmas stuff

pack up old books to be handed off to Goodwill

Run, go to Yoga, and do some Christmas shopping

Monday has come and gone.  I ran.  I went to Yoga. I finished reading a book, which wasn't even on the list.  And then I went to a movie, which was also not on the list (J.Edgar.  Interesting, and Leo DiCaprio is great…but get it on DVD).

So I put all those Monday chores on my Tuesday to-do list, which included these:

File some travel documents

Send my sister a check for some money I owe her

Sketch out some series ideas

Write a bunch of blogs and have them ready to go

upgrade my operating system.

I did the travel documents.  I sent my sister a check.  I ran.  I actually gathered the laundry into one central location and left it there.  And then I went to another movie (The Descendents.  Good movie, but kind of a downer).  Wednesday wasn't much better.

I thought about paying some bills, but that seemed like it would take too much time–time I didn't have, if I was going to squeeze in another movie.  And then there's the trip to the post office to mail some of the bills, which is a huge time sink that cuts into the time I need to run by Starbuck's.  And if I go there, the pool supply store is next door, and I think, as long as I'm here, I ought to pick up some stuff for the pool.  But I definitely don't want to go off in that direction because I need to pick out a new book to read and pool chores cut into the time I need for that.   I can't just pick a book willy-nilly.  It requires some thought and reading a few pages.

I always dream of having time to do chores  around the house AT MY LEISURE, but it seems like when I have the time, I can't make myself.  I guess I really do best when those chores are shoved in between work.   When I have a days off and I really don't have towrite or promote my books or respond to editors or agents, I feel like I should be doing something constructive.  But my heart will not cooperate.  It tells my mind to take a break, to see some movies and read some books.  There will always be time for laundry and paying bills and cleaning offices.  Right?

What do you do when you have a few days off?  Do you fill it with chores?  Or do you really take time for yourself?  When you finish reading a book, how do you choose another one to read?  Do you have several to choose from, or do you know what the next one is going to be?

And a bonus treat today!  Some friends of mine (including Sherri and Jacquie) have penned a book of short stories called Masters of Seduction.  You can download it here from Amazon.

 

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