All right, folks, it’s time for the report on my misdeeds as
recorded in the log of Shame. As many of you know, for the past week I have
been logging my daily adventures, both good and bad.
Okay, we’ve all got house work, meals to prepare, dogs to walk,
etc. it’s called a life. But there are other hours in the day, however there
never seemed to be enough. Why? Why can some people get it done and others not?
It was time to find out.
It didn’t take long to see where it was going. A bunch of it
went to social media, but necessarily in a constructive way. Still more of it
went to on-line games, and a fair bit of time went into getting my head into
the story.
Oh yes, indeed. It wasn’t just the time I was losing to
other pursuits; it was my difficulty getting the enthusiasm up for the project.
Why? My old habit was to sit down with a coffee, check the sales figures, get
depressed, go on social media, whine a bit, encourage as many folks as I could,
then start reading blogs to get my head back in the game. It can be a tough
sell.
I started recording this a week ago Wednesday, told you
about it on Sunday, and changed the routine last Tuesday. I am thrilled and the
ROW80 check-in below will testify to the change. I will write more on this
subject come Wednesday.
ROW80 check-in:
Goals:
1.
Write 10,000 words per week.
(Did it, life is good. J)
2.
Read 10,000 words per week.
(Got it.)
3.
Edit ten pages of a
completed MS. (Did 10 pages per day.:)
4.
Feature a new author every
Friday (I didn’t even manage a blog post Friday. My bad.)
5.
Read and comment on 10 blogs
per week. (Made it.)
6.
Log my computer time to see
where I can change my work and play habits for the better. (Did it. This can be
truly frightening, but illuminating.)
Well, that’s it for today, folks. So, have
any of you tried to keep a log of your time? How did it go? Wednesday I’ll let
you know a bit about how I made changes and the results so far.
Posts
Well, you put me to shame! I'm glad you found a system that is working for you!! :) Hope you continue to see signs of progress.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kate, the real trick here is to make it last more than a week. I need to establish the habit before the new and shiny wears off.
DeleteI can so relate to having trouble getting into the writing! That seems to be my theme for the month. :( Good on you for your detective work - I'm looking forward to learning more about how you overcame your time-wasters!
ReplyDeleteHi Jennette, sadly, I will also confess how much time I am still wasting. sigh However, I am happy so far and writing lots. Hope you get a hug from the muse too.
DeleteI've had that experience, too. It's better for me to postpone checking sales or social media until the day's word count is accomplished. I produce better words faster if I tackle writing first thing, so when I can manage it, that's what I do.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck in the coming week!
Hi J.R., it is actually amazing, the difference in both the quality and quantity of work I can get done if I stay off the internet until I am finished working. Thanks for the encouragement.
DeleteOh Pru, I know what you mean. The social media sucks you in. I am going to make a log myself. I think it's a great way to keep check on how I'm spending my time. I think this will make me more productive. Thanks for the idea. :)
ReplyDeleteIt is sure working for me, Karen. I hope it works for you too. Good luck.
DeleteI've done some keeping track, but not just lately, because I've realized that when I am not writing, it is often because I am filling up to write, and the writing is better if I let some of those things happen subterraneously, and allow my mind to wander from here to there. Just now, I am doing a lot of learning - about writing, and about myself.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I am on a threshold to something new and wondrous, and I am not rushing the process of crossing over, because I want as smooth a transition as possible.
That said, I have no sales to track, as yet, so I don't have that....but, when I really want to devote myself to something, I try to avoid going online with my laptop at all, saving that for my Kindle, which allows me to browse quickly, but doesn't encourage lingering responses.
Overall, I am writing vastly more than I was a year or two ago, and so I see that as solid movement in the direction I want to travel...
May your new habits take, and bring you delightful productivity.....
Hey Shah, sounds like you've found your own magic formula. That's awesome.
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