Tuesday, July 30, 2013

HOW MUCH FREE TIME TO YOU HAVE?

Most of us have a lot of free time that we use unwisely. I'm guilty, so I'm preaching to myself. My work day usually starts around 8 o'clock in the mornings. I am not an evening person. Come 9 o'clock at night, I'm ready to wind down and think about bed and sleep. My mornings usually start around six each morning. I overslept this morning, but it felt so good to sleep late.

Do you schedule your day? I try to, but life always interferes sometime or other. We have to allow for those time. I schedule free time at the end of the day in case I overlap or have to run out for something. Usually, I make a list of what I want to accomplish today. Most of the things on the list are marked off at the end of the day, but sometimes I have to put a few things on tomorrow's list.

Why do I make list? I'm a list person. If I don't write it down, I don't do it. This started way back in high school. Today, I keep a date book, paper not computer. I remember things better if I take a pen or pencil and write them down. When I worked in direct sales, they taught us to fill our datebooks up as much as we could. I would have all the classes I taught listed, and sometimes there were two or three classes in a day. My datebook was filled up a month in advance. When I didn't fill my datebook, I knew my business was slipping.

The same thing happens in writing. What does your datebook look like? Do you know what you will be doing next week, or next month? How full do you keep it with projects, writing, conferences, etc.? Do you schedule when you want the book you are working on be finished? I do. The book I am working on, Susannah's Hope, will be finished by the end of August. That is critiqued, finished, polished, and ready to go.

My next book, Going Home, will be finished by October 15. It may not be critiqued, but the draft will be finished. I plan to write a chapter a day until I finish it. So far, I am on the fourth chapter. I've worked more on Susannah and a book I'm doing for church. Oh, the book for church will be finished by Friday and ready to go to the printers by the next Friday.

If I don't schedule, I don't have any free time. It is important for me to have the free time with my family and friends. Our two oldest grandchildren will be busy when school starts. Granddaughter #1 is in the band at Goodpasture Christian High School in Nashville, TN. She is a senior, and we want to see her perform as much as we can. Grandson #1 is playing football for his middle school. Grandson #2 will be playing football of some sort, so he will keep us busy. There is also band competitions we will attend. This fall will be busy and go fast.

Life moves too quickly to sit still. Make a schedule and see how much you can get done.

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