The Day’s Not Over Yet
I’m a lark. I have my best days when I wake up early and use the morning hours to do my writing and a bit of meditation. That way, I go through the day knowing I’ve already done two of the things that are most important for my well-being.
Morning is my most creative time. My right brain wakes up first and comes up with creative ideas for fiction that just wouldn’t be accessible later in the day. (Often, when I read over words I’ve written in the early hours, I find that I’ve made lots of punctuation and grammatical errors that I don’t typically make — my analytical brain just doesn’t kick in that early.) I’ve learned not to waste mornings on listening to the news or doing busywork.
If I do make the mistake of working on something besides fiction right when I wake up, or if my kids wake up early with me, often the fiction writing won’t get done at all that day.
But recently, I was talking to a client who had agreed to send out a newsletter by the day of our call. “Yeah, I haven’t done that yet. But the day’s not over.”
Blink.
Oh, yes! That’s right.
Sometimes we (I) get so locked into a way of doing things that when circumstances don’t line up perfectly, we (I) simply abandon ship. Well, the little one woke up early so I can’t work on my novel. My doctor said I should exercise early in the day so it doesn’t interfere with sleep, but now it’s after lunch so I can’t.
Yes, good habits generally help you be more productive than flying by the seat of your pants, but a little flexibility never hurts. If you know your true priorities (and your creative work should be one of them) then you can make them happen in spite of your circumstances.
This is especially helpful to remember at this time of year when so many of us are trying to meet our resolutions.
Even if it’s nearly bedtime, just make a little dent.
The day’s not over yet — there’s still a chance to carve out some time for what’s important.
If you need some accountability in this department, the Happily Ever Author Club can help keep you on track with a Monday morning goal check-in plus two butt-in-seat writing sessions every week.