I’m amused when my editor tells me she reads these posts sometimes. haha Mostly because I don’t think anyone does, or I don’t think about anyone doing it. I write for myself so I forget these blogs are public! I’m just this awesome, I’m aware.

Not really much went on story-wise today so not too much to mention. I did however, think about something while I was outside gardening that I wanted to talk about.

A common theme among all of us is the idea that we don’t have enough time.

We aren’t victims of time. We are creators of time.

Once upon a time we were animals who went by day and night. Until we made a label for it, it was light and dark. We have had the same twenty-four hours in a day since the time we created a label for it.

Do yourself a favor and stop telling yourself you don’t have time for something. Law of Attraction and all means that you will never have time for anything with that thought process.

Change your thoughts, change your life. No shit, it works. I’m so eloquent.

Take responsibility for the time you have and tell yourself (I’ve done this and it works) that you have more than enough time for everything you need to do and then some. Make it a personal saying that works for you, you don’t have to use the same words as I do.

Also admit that you have time. You choose not to do something with the time that you have. It’s okay. I’m right there with you. I’ve used that excuse, but it’s just that. An excuse. I do have time. If my dog got sick right now, what do you think I’d do? I’d stop writing this, turn the computer off, and go tend to the dog who was sick. That time would become available because I made that time. I create it. Time exists because we created it. The worst thing in the world is confusing ourselves with not having that time, and choosing not to use what time we have for particular things. I could go without lunch and have that hour for something else.

We create time.

So the first step in finding more time for things we want to do?

Take the responsibility for the lack. I have a full life. But if someone contacts me, I respond. If a dog needs medication for an illness that creeps up, I find the time to administer it and tend to the dog. When I want to garden, suddenly that full life opens up an hour a day to garden. 30 minutes in the afternoon, 30 in the evening. Now I’ve done a huge chunk of work. If I need to write, an hour comes free. As you’ve seen, sometimes it’s only 30 minutes. I’ve still accomplished the writing.

Second step. Don’t beat yourself up for however little time you have dedicated to the activity.

It takes time to establish a habit. You will step back, you will step forward. It will be difficult, you will want to give up. Celebrate whatever little progress you made.

Third step. Schedules are your friend.

The most boring things on the planet, yeah? I often feel that way and I use the damn things. I’m not perfect by nature, I promise. Okay I admit it, I am.

This is why I cling to that schedule with everything I got and I stilllllllllllllll screw up. Oy.

A lot of the time I feel like I’m playing catch up with the schedules I make.

I’m comfortable with “around-ish” as a time. I am.

Around noon, I will eat lunch. Around 9 AM I work out. Aside from the sarcasm, I think it’s very helpful to do that. Then if I can’t stop what I’m doing at noon for lunch, and it gets pushed back by 15 minutes, I don’t go crazy. I don’t beat myself up. However, I don’t slack off. I try to stay to the schedule I make. That’s also important. Don’t slack for the purpose of allowing Resistance to win. Resistance is that great force in the world that will try to keep you from achieving whatever you want. I get frustrated sometimes, but that’s natural. I change the schedule all the time so I’m trying to always find the right rhythm for me and each new day brings its own new challenges. Work with your own.

Which leads up to the fourth step. Work with your natural rhythm.

We have ebbs, we have flows. Uuuppppsss and downnnnss. Our bodies aren’t constantly on and running at high. Find what yours is and work with it.

I write in the morning because after working out, and around that time period, my brain is wired. I can write easy. It’s before everyone gets going (I mean my mother and the dogs wake up and really start moving about) and I have that time where I know that nobody wants my attention, I won’t need to worry about people ringing the door (in general) and wanting my attention. I edit and format and market the afternoon after lunch and up to early evening because at that time my body is in a lull. No matter what, it wants to lounge and be lazy. So sitting down to do all that extra bidness works out. Then in the evening I will work in editing with the paper manuscript because I can relax and focus on it. Not always so I don’t try to push it.

Those are some of the things I do. I don’t worry about it. I don’t overwork myself to sticking with it. Some days I truly am so tired I can’t think. I will work on a cover at that time or try to respond to emails. I do things on those days that require no brain. Or very little. Work with your natural rhythm. That’s the key to keeping yourself going.

Remember you will make mistakes. You will take steps back for every step forward. There is a learning curve. You will get frustrated. The secret is to just keep going. Don’t give up so easy. Keep trying. The only failure is in giving up.

We are not quitters.

You do have time for whatever you want to do. Create it or admit, you’re not really interested in doing that particular activity. You will find a lot of freedom open up in admitting the truth to yourself. You will find a lot of stress leaves your shoulders if you realize also that you don’t have to do anything you don’t really want to.

 

Word count I started the day with: 16,549

Word count I ended the day with: 17,407

Total for the day: 858 words

 

Current Book I’m Reading –

A Dance with Dragons – George R.R. Martin

 

Originally posted on Kim Iverson's Website - http://ift.tt/1VkTmTn