THE PERFECT SCHEDULE - OR - NO SCHEDULE AT ALL

It would be very nice and convenient if I could set aside a special time where I would just sit down and write. It would be ideal to have a schedule for the day in which there is a specific time where I would have the quiet I need and the creativity flow inspiring me to be the great writer that I know I am.

But that is not the case. You see, I’m washing dishes and I’m not really just washing dishes. I’m doing a scene in my head and sometimes saying the parts in a low whisper when my 9 year old daughter walks in and kindly asks, “Mommy are you talking to that dish?”  I am running the vacuum but the noise is blocked out because in my head I am in Paris shopping. While I make the beds and pick up whatever is not in its place, I am questioning methods, philosophies and pondering on human behavior in general or in specific.

You see, the Greek DNA flowing through my veins throws me in a philosophical state at any given moment. Usually not the planned kind of moments, but rather the middle of the day need to rush through the housework in order to jot this thought down kind.

It would be great if I could plan it.

In life one very important lesson I keep repeating is dealing with unplanned situations.  I've become an expert. On a daily basis I am doing just that.  I've had tons of practice. Stressful at times indeed, but that is just the way it works for me.

Am I making excuses for the long pauses I take in between my work, when I do nothing all day (or days, it depends) but watch back to back episodes of Grey’s Anatomy in my comfort clothes, dare I mention facebook, and consume illegal amounts of caffeine?

These are my mini vacations without spending money. They are an art form of a certain kind of tourism I have invented. I don’t expect others to understand that you can pretend to be a tourist at home.

It’s okay.

After all, I have just begun to understand it all myself.

The point I need to make is simple. We don’t all fit into the same pair of jeans. Our lives are all very different and unique. Sure, there is a basic model of organization that everyone could follow and it would bring great results and time management perhaps, but would it bring the same amount of creativity and joy to everyone’s day? (Getting the rest of the family to work with this schedule is another topic of discussion.) 

Sometimes I am in a writer’s frenzy. Then, there are days that I get one sentence or half a thought and I am off on a tangent playing candy crush saga while scanning through Huffington post and articles of interest to me.  I still have a basic day schedule, many goals chunked down, mind mapping software, and the weekly menu of what to cook for the family. However, most of the time I just need to do it my way!