So What You’re Exercising……Have You Written Anything?

exercise

A few months back I joined a gym. The signs were aligned. A Planet Fitness opened right around the corner from my house and my blood sugar landed me in the ER.

It was time to make a lifestyle change. I’ve been exercising faithfully ever since. (Lost a few pounds so far) I feel like I have accomplished a major goal. But have I written anything?

The answer is “Well, sort of”.

The reason:  I don’t have time.  How can I fit writing into an already full day?  I get up an hour earlier and hit the gym. Between working full-time, being a wife and mother and trying to maintain a semi clean home, I’m exhausted.  Before I know it, it’s time to go to bed to start the day all over again.

Every day I plan to get some writing done.  Every day I fail.

Until time and an ass kicking from my editor made me get me life in order. I had to get a new plan.

Now I get the writing in throughout the day. An hour at lunch here. Waiting in the cell phone lot of the airport there. Riding out of town car shopping. An hour before bed.

There’re always pockets of time. I’m making progress. But I still feel like there isn’t enough time.

How do you find the time to write?  Any suggestions for a stressed out writer?

How to Procrastinate in Six Easy Steps

Get busy writing!
Get busy writing!

The plan was to spend the day writing.  It was an easy Sunday morning and I didn’t have anything planned.  The kids were busy doing homework so I was distraction free.  As night fell, I realized something about myself.  I am the world’s best procrastinator.  Let me show the way is six easy steps:

  1. Wake up and immediately turn on the television.  I figured I would watch  30 minutes of Melissa Harris-Perry on MSNBC.  That turned into an hour and a half.  But no worries, it is important to stay informed about current events.  It can only enhance my writing.
  2. Check email.  You have to keep the inbox clean.  Besides, all those emails about publishing, blogging and writing can be considered research.
  3. Now I’m hungry.  Prepare a late brunch of pancakes and sausage.  You can’t write on an empty stomach.
  4. Cell phone dings.  It’s my turn in Ruzzle.  I discovered this game on Friday when my co-worker sent me a request.  I am hooked.  50 games later I took a break.
  5. Check in with the hubby.  Daily communication can only strengthen a long distance relationship.  I can’t help it if we talked for over an hour.
  6. Now it’s time to cook dinner.  Have to feed the kids.  After supervising the cleaning of the kitchen and getting things taken care of for the next day, I’m too tired to focus on the characters in my head.

When I named this blog, Unwritten, I saw it as a call to action not a self-fulfilling prophecy.  I’ll do better tomorrow.