Finding Time

This morning I was waiting for an appointment.  I had my laptop so I could have spent the time writing.  Knowing that I’d be interrupted at some point made it difficult for me to get into the frame of mind to write.  So, I opted to read a book instead.  Which left me feeling disappointed with myself.

For years, I spent my lunch hours reading — something I thoroughly enjoyed — so I always intended to write in the evening.  But once I got home, day-to-day activities often took precedence or I’d use the excuse that I was too tired to write.  Mornings weren’t available either, because that’s when I’d exercise.

In 2005, I started writing during my lunch hour.  I was amazed at how much I got accomplished in 60 minutes.  Certainly every day was not a stellar writing session, but that wasn’t the point.  I was getting stuff done, a little at a time.  Soon I became very protective of my writing time — I mean, my lunch hour, which had less to do with eating lunch and more to do with being creative.

For the last two years, I’ve had a free schedule to write during the day.  Some days I never wanted to stop writing.  Other days, I kept my butt in the chair until I hit my word quota.  

Now my schedule has changed again, and I’m learning where my writing time fits in.  It’s no longer an option to skip it; writing is always on the docket, no matter what.

By the way, this was written during my lunch break.