Monday, May 28, 2012

3 Ways To Avoid Lost In Time



I woke up this morning thinking about all the things I needed to do today.   Sitting down to create my daily blog post,  I looked over the past few days to make sure I hadn't missed any comments...and came to a slamming halt.

What in the world happened to Saturday?

I'm on a daily posting schedule and somehow...someway...in the middle of my hectic life, I managed to get lost in time and skip an entire day.  I'm not sure how I did that.  Heck, I can't even remember what I did on Saturday to be honest. And that bothers me a little bit.




Ever have one of those days?  When there doesn't seem to be an end to that tunnel?  When your "to do" list turns into a "to don't" one simply because you've run out of time?  I've always been a busy person.  I am a serious multi-tasker and magnet to people who want to load up my project plate.  And I let them.  Because it's in my nature to help others before I help myself.  

But when I find myself looking around, scratching my head, and wondering where an entire day went then it's probably time to stop and catch my breath.  Writers are like that.  We are driven to write and sometimes the ideas are flowing so quickly that we barely have time to write them down.  One good idea turns into half a dozen and pretty soon our writing plate is loaded down with multiple works in progress.  We run the risk of losing track of the time it takes to produce quality work in our efforts to do it all.




Writers can avoid the problem of getting lost in time by doing the following three things:

1.  Stop...take a moment at the beginning of your day to make sure you are on the right track to accomplishing the goals you have set out for yourself.  They can be challenging but don't overload your writing plate so much that everything is in danger of falling off and nothing gets done.

2.  Look...keeping track of which agents or publishing houses are requesting submissions will give insight into where your writing focus should be if you work in different genres.  Pay attention to "seasonal" or other themes so that the holiday picture book or summer time nonfiction one you just completed won't get lost in time and end up hidden in the slush pile.

3.  Listen...make sure you fuel your mind and body with the energy it needs to keep up with all you want to do.  Seek out the lessons taught by the great writers who have come before you and take from their wisdom only the things that you can apply to your own journey on the path to publication.  Don't get lost in time by spending too much effort on STUDYING the craft of writing and not enough effort on the actual WRITING part!

For myself, I can't get back my lost Saturday's post and I feel like I've let myself down in my goal of posting daily for my first year in the blogosphere.  But honestly, I don't have time to feel bad for too long...I've got today's goals to work on.

I wonder if it would help if I stood on my head?





23 comments:

  1. "Timely" reminder for us all. And "Stop, Look and Listen" is something I can easily remember -- thank you! (Just don't expect me to stand on my head any time soon. I don't seem to be as flexible as that baby...)

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    1. Hi Beth! I took the "stop, look, and listen" from a childhood chant I was taught about crossing the street safely. And I couldn't stand on my head even if my life depended on it! ;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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    2. I learned "stop, look, and listen" for crossing the street when I was small, too.

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    3. And here I thought it was just a "southern" thing...;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  2. Excellent advice! And I think you're okay on the daily posting thing - didn't you post an extra when your dog passed on? I feel like I read 2 posts that day... but then again, I lose track of time too - all the time! :)

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    1. Hi Susanna and thanks for the kinds words. It's just that I have limited time and I don't want to get behind...then I'll never catch up!

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  3. When you realized you "lost" Saturday, did you hear the theme from Twilight Zone?

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    1. No, Janet...I actually started thinking about Lost In Space which turned into Lost In Time which turned into today's post...;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  4. I was dropped on my head at about that age, does that count?

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    1. Lol...in YOUR case, JP, it might! ;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  5. I like the headstand idea! A change in blood-flow! Spend your day with kind thoughts and you haven't lost anything!

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    1. Hi Julie! I actually spent the day trying to put my house back in order after the repairmen left. Now it's after 9 pm and I'm just getting online...what a loooonnnggg day...;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  6. When I read this I ducked! Something I do a LOT! Lose track of time that is, not stand on my head. Then again......:-)

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    1. Hey, Diane, if I thought it would help me with my writing, I might be tempted to try turning my world upside down...;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  7. Great post, Donna! The same thing happened to me last year when I had decided to post EVERY DAY and then, three months into the year, I skipped a day and felt AWFUL. But then I realized that I had been neglecting other areas of my life and that blogging had become the ultimate priority and that, even though I really enjoyed posting, I needed to do other things as well...like work on writing picture books, watch a movie with my husband and stop and smell the roses...or whatever flower was blooming at the time. :)
    And I LOVE the headstand pic!

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    1. Hi Vivian! I spent Friday up in the mountains with my son so I got to smell the flowers then...;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  8. Perhaps you'll have two Saturdays this weekend?

    Sometimes my days flow into one, and it's not unusual to look back over an entire week and be a bit confused as to what happened in it!

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    1. Hi Annalisa! THAT would be great if I got two Saturdays this weekend coming up...as long as I still get my Sunday as well...;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  9. Lots of good advice here, Donna. No worries...missing one out of 365 seems insignificant. I still think you are a super hero for attempting it!!

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  10. Hi Jarm! Thank you for your kind words...maybe I need to invest in a red cape? Lol...

    Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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  11. Cute pic of the baby! Since it is a leap year, you should still be able to post 365 days! ;) I like the hour glass pic. It's cool. I like the "Stop... Look... Listen..." :)

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    1. Hi Erik! You know what? I never thought about it being leap year! You have saved me...;0)

      Thanks for stopping by and come back any time!

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