Here’s an interesting article on the vampire legend, and how some of it may have gotten started. I was anemic a few years back and did actually crave pink steaks. So… step a little closer. I think I see something on your neck.
What does this have to do with writing or publishing?
Well… I want to talk about real vampires. They may not be pale blood suckers, but they do suck the life out of you and your work. What’s taking you away from what you love, what you enjoy? Do you ever finish out the day wondering when you’ll have time to really live, do the things you want to do and not just what you have to do?
I know I struggle with this a lot, and even more over the last couple of months. It’s too easy to let small things fill up your day and never get around to what’s important.
Time is your most important asset, and how you spend it, minute by minute, determines the quality of your life. Think about that for a second. It’s not about setting aside a week for vacation or a special evening to do something with the family. Those things are fun and important, but your life is really determined by what you do every day, minute by minute, hour by hour. Choose wisely!
Bloodsuckers
So, what’s taking up your time?
People. I’m not telling you to turn into a misanthrope, far from it. You should make time to spend time with those you love, people who are important to you. However, that might mean making less time for people who drain you, your time and your emotional resources. Do you have someone like that in your life? Someone who takes up a lot of your time and energy when you’d rather do something else of be with someone else?
One thing you can do is limit the time you spend with, and on, these people. Use your caller ID and don’t take all their calls. You don’t have to answer every e-mail, IM, facebook message, etc. Try setting aside a little time for these people and strictly limit it to that and no more.
And if you start to feel guilty, take a look at someone you DO want to spend time with, and ask if it’s fair to you, or them, that you allow someone to interfere with that.
Less important tasks
Notice I don’t say unimportant tasks, just less important. Cooking, laundry, errands, bill paying, etc. are all important. They’re just not as important as doing what you love.
One technique that works for me is setting aside a specific amount of time to do these types of tasks, and I group all of them together. For example, I might allow two hours for housework, laundry, fixing dinner, cleaning up, etc. Let’s say you spend more time on dinner than usual. With this method, you’ll be forced to spend less time on some of the other stuff.
Again, if you start to feel bad that the floor isn’t mopped or you didn’t run every errand today, then consider if it’s worth not getting to spend time with your kids, or work on the novel, or have a date night with your husband.
Most important things first
This is the most important technique for ensuring that you have time to do the things you want to do. Set time aside for the most important things first, and then work in everything else as you can.
Want to have time to write every day? Set aside time before work, after dinner, whenever. Protect that time and fit everything else you have to do in the rest of the day. Want more family time? Then set aside time for it first and worry about housework and phone calls and so on during the rest of the day.
If you let it happen, there are a lot of tasks, and people, who will drain you of time, energy, spirit, motivation, etc. So don’t let it happen. Focus on how you want to spend your time, and practice ignoring other things, and people, in order to do that. It’s a lesson I’m still learning, but it’s completely worth it.
