It's such good, humane, sensible advice, Alison. ❤️ Yes, housework, a horrific time suck! Two rules that served me well: A double -spaced page a day, keep going if I can, don't beat myself up if life intervenes. That got me through my doctoral dissertation (pre kid, admittedly) And from an Australian professor I knew on the importance of knocking out a first draft without getting too angsty about it (imagine the accent): "Any old shit'll do, love! Any old shit'll do!"
I’m learning retirement life. So many choices! I have eased into a rhythm of a 5 day work week instead of 6 which still feels luxurious. I’m ready for Monday and hit it, working, playing, and resting. Yes, resting. I rise before sunup and wake up to the new day. I read and write with Forest/Tree and write for a devotional for every week of this year. It will be published next year. I have time for the important things now, me. I love carving time out to meet with the dawn and let the creative take over. Tree has opened my eyes wider to the creative in many walks of life. Thanks, Jeff! And all the contributors! What a wealth here!
I tried getting up before my children to write when they were young, but their Mommy-antenna were always alert and soon their little footsteps and noises would be heard coming down the stairs....next I would just let them get their own breakfast. They got yogurt containers out of the cupboard, put them on the floor, filled them to the brim with Cheerios, then poured in the milk. Still, the clean up afterwards was worth the bit of writing time and they enjoyed feeling independent.
Being a mom to a 1.5yr old (who still wakes once every night to nurse!) and corporate wage slave, I do my best writing after my daughter's bedtime or during her nap on the weekends. The biggest lifestyle factor that allows me to research during the day and tend to other hobbies is that I work exclusively remotely - without the commute or bosses/coworkers hovering in the background, I can read blog posts on my phone, listen to podcasts while working, and sneak away intermittently to clean or tend to my batches of yogurt fermenting away or spend an hour baking muffins. Then, when J is asleep and I'm logged off work, I have the time to write plus I'm reinvigorated from tending to some hobbies.
This is so good, Tara, to see how you balance--even still finding time for interests! And how that balance feeds you and your writing. To save a commute, though, is KEY.
It's such good, humane, sensible advice, Alison. ❤️ Yes, housework, a horrific time suck! Two rules that served me well: A double -spaced page a day, keep going if I can, don't beat myself up if life intervenes. That got me through my doctoral dissertation (pre kid, admittedly) And from an Australian professor I knew on the importance of knocking out a first draft without getting too angsty about it (imagine the accent): "Any old shit'll do, love! Any old shit'll do!"
Thank you for this, Annette! Good rules indeed. And quote, too... I will have that rattling around in my head!
Very freeing, that saying!
I’m learning retirement life. So many choices! I have eased into a rhythm of a 5 day work week instead of 6 which still feels luxurious. I’m ready for Monday and hit it, working, playing, and resting. Yes, resting. I rise before sunup and wake up to the new day. I read and write with Forest/Tree and write for a devotional for every week of this year. It will be published next year. I have time for the important things now, me. I love carving time out to meet with the dawn and let the creative take over. Tree has opened my eyes wider to the creative in many walks of life. Thanks, Jeff! And all the contributors! What a wealth here!
Jeff and TREE are really good--I do enjoy his newsletter :) Glad you've carved out time to write, Denelle!
I tried getting up before my children to write when they were young, but their Mommy-antenna were always alert and soon their little footsteps and noises would be heard coming down the stairs....next I would just let them get their own breakfast. They got yogurt containers out of the cupboard, put them on the floor, filled them to the brim with Cheerios, then poured in the milk. Still, the clean up afterwards was worth the bit of writing time and they enjoyed feeling independent.
Love this, Amy! Can see and hear the hum of breakfasting while you were writing. Independence and meeting all needs!
Being a mom to a 1.5yr old (who still wakes once every night to nurse!) and corporate wage slave, I do my best writing after my daughter's bedtime or during her nap on the weekends. The biggest lifestyle factor that allows me to research during the day and tend to other hobbies is that I work exclusively remotely - without the commute or bosses/coworkers hovering in the background, I can read blog posts on my phone, listen to podcasts while working, and sneak away intermittently to clean or tend to my batches of yogurt fermenting away or spend an hour baking muffins. Then, when J is asleep and I'm logged off work, I have the time to write plus I'm reinvigorated from tending to some hobbies.
This is so good, Tara, to see how you balance--even still finding time for interests! And how that balance feeds you and your writing. To save a commute, though, is KEY.