August 9, 2010

Time pressure and interruptions–they’re always with us. Right? To a certain extent, yes. 

I have several appointments coming up that will take three hours out of several different days and a couple of favors I didn’t have the nerve to say “no” to. I was bemoaning the chunk of work time that would be deducted from my 40-hour work week.

How would I get my writing done?

Aha! Moment

Then I realized that my husband hasn’t missed an hour of work in months, yet he keeps his doctors’ appointments and other special commitments. He does what I need to do myself–he makes up for lost time. Usually he works days. If he has a morning doctor’s appointment, he switches shifts, goes to his appointment, and works 3-11.

Yes, he gets less sleep that night. Yes, he’s a bit tired the next day, but he just goes to bed earlier. He doesn’t moan and groan about time pressure, he doesn’t miss any work, and he takes care of important appointments.

Keeping Office Hours

I need to follow his example in that area. If I’m going to say “yes” to a favor or a long phone call with a friend, I need to “clock out” of the office for that time, and then make it up in the evening. Or, better yet, I need to get up earlier that day and log in the extra writing time before my appointments.

If I diligently make up the writing every time I quit work for some reason, I bet I will get better at saying “no” to some requests. In fact, I can almost guarantee it! While my husband works late to make up for important things (eye exams, yearly physicals, occasional volunteer projects), he doesn’t switch shifts and work late for every little thing someone might want him to do. And I can’t ever recall a time he was stressed about finding enough hours to get his work done.

Home Office Hours

Yes, it’s easier if you work at an office with a boss. None of your friends or family members expect things from you during the day when you work outside the home. So your only option is learning to say “no.” I’ve been working in my home office (mostly full-time) for thirty years. People still half-assume that since I’m at home, I’m not really working.

So, as usual, it comes down to this. *I* need to take my writing schedule seriously before anyone else will. It’s not about convincing the people in my life that I’m serious about my writing. It’s about convincing me.

Once I do that, I suspect the schedule will fall into place.

6 Comments »

1. 

   Oh, my, Kristi! I think you have been spending time in MY home office! You are so right. Thanks for the perspective.

   Comment by Jane Heitman Healy — August 9, 2010 @ 3:45 pm

2. 

   Jane, I keep hoping that I will get this lesson into my thick skull once and for all, but I seem to have to keep re-learning it! I need to get over the guilt for saying “no” more often. It ain’t easy! 8-(

   Comment by Kristi Holl — August 10, 2010 @ 3:37 pm

3. 

   With a large family and large demands for my time,I appreciate all you’ve said in this post. These days I limit my “counseling” time with the last three kids still at home by telling them up front I have only ten minutes then I have to get back to work. Since my two daughters are struggling writers with their own schedules, they are learning to understand Mom’s abruptness. I also want them to figure things out for themselves. Saying “no” to them means, “think about this and see what happens with your choices.” My dear son, on the other hand, is an entirely different sort of creature trying to find his way in this world.

   Comment by Crystal Blanchard — August 11, 2010 @ 11:37 am

4. 

   Crystal, that takes a lot of guts as a mom. And you’re so right–they need to learn how to figure things out for themselves. Most of them can do it really well once we stop doing it all for them. I like your line, “think about this and see what happens with your choices.” I may borrow that one!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — August 11, 2010 @ 6:41 pm

5. 

   You are so right Kristi. How can I expect people to take my writing serious if I’m not giving it the time it needs by keeping my office hours. It’s tough being the boss, but that comes with the choosing to be a writer.

   Comment by Susanne Drazic — August 14, 2010 @ 8:07 am

6. 

   Susanne, you’re right–it’s tough being the boss! Writers wear so many hats, don’t they?

   Comment by Kristi Holl — August 14, 2010 @ 7:31 pm

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