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On my writing bulletin board, I have a Shoe comic strip where Cosmo sits in front of his desk with a pile of disorganized papers. He cracks his knuckles, cleans his glasses, makes paper airplanes, anything but writing. Shoe comes in and says, “Got a minute?” Cosmo replies, “CanÙt you see IÙm writing?” as a paper doll unfolds. Sound familiar? We all can get the procrastination bug.
Personally, my own involves getting very busy around the house. All of a sudden folding laundry and cleaning dishes seem more exciting than writing a story. I sit at the computer and get up to get a glass of water, feed the dog, make a phone call, take out the trash anything but working on the project I need to complete. Surfing the web is an easy hole to fall into, with the justification of “research.” How easy it is to let the day slip away.
In the end, the work must get done, no matter how easy or difficult the words come. Knowing your work habits helps. For example, my best writing comes between 5:30 and 9am. So writing a story or working on a project as soon as I wake up helps to get the flow going for the day. Creating deadlines also helps, making a specific goal to work towards for the project or for the day.
To evaluate your own work schedule, become aware or make a list of when you are most productive. What time of day is it? What is the environment around you? What kinds of things do you allow to get in the way and interrupt your work? By looking at those intrusions, you can begin to eliminate them creating a more productive lifestyle.
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