Time Kills--or Does It?

Actress Marilu Henner said, “Lack of time is a real health killer.”

I totally agree. Wait a minute. No. I don’t agree. Actually, it’s not lack of time. It’s how we use our time, how many obligations we assume, and how we feel about the failure to meet our obligations.

Mea Culpa

I find myself blaming lack of time for not exercising, for not spending enough time with my loved ones, for not giving enough attention to the mundane daily activities like taking care of home and all that tedious stuff, and for not getting my projects done fast enough.

Do You See Yourself?

Sound like a familiar scenario? The real culprit isn’t time. It’s how we use it, how we prioritize, and how we feel about all our obligations.

Mostly, I feel overwhelmed. Do you?

I find myself over-scheduling, underestimating the time required for a project, using my high energy mornings for low-priority tasks, and a lot of other bad time habits I’ve fallen into since last year when I disrupted my life and moved. Then remodeled. Then moved again. Etc.

Refocus

Starting Monday, I’m going to structure my day differently. I’m going to get my writing–my real work–done in the morning, rather than leaving it to the afternoon when I’m caught up on email and social media and all that.

Somehow, in the last two years, my work schedule has flip flopped, and I’ve found myself doing the important–but non-essential tasks in the morning. By afternoon, my brain is too tired to create fiction.

Takeaway Truth

Sometimes a simple change may be all that’s required to refocus one’s energy and focus. Of course, most simple changes are not necessarily easy. I’ll let you know how this works out. If you need me, I’ll be on email and online after lunch.

I love you, Readers of SlingWords! To prove it, I’m showing the love. Everyone who leaves a comment with their email address (write it out, don’t leave as a hot link) will be entered to win the September Prize. Each comment with email gets 1 entry.

Want another entry? Subscribe to either of my newsletters (WordPlay for Readers: http://eepurl.com/Yk61n and/or Writing Hacks for Writers: http://eepurl.com/fX7JT) and get another entry.

After the end of the month, I’ll put all names into a hat and have a friend or my daughter draw the winning name. You will be notified, and you’ll see the name here on the blog and on my newsletters.

What Do You Win?

You might want to know this. Each month the prize varies. For the September Prize Winner, if the winner resides in the Lower 48, the prize is a copy of Old Enough To Know Better along with an Old Enough to Know Better Keytag.

If the winner is outside the Continental U.S., the prize will also be the book plus another gift of commensurate value –  that can easily be delivered abroad.