How are You Derailed?

By Cheri Chesley

Re-post from 2010

I had a plan this morning. I'd get up, put up my post and get on with my day.

Then I checked my email.

And I've spent the last hour and a half looking for my eyeglasses prescription.

A while back, I dropped my glasses and scratched the protective lens coating. I needed to replace them, but I've been putting it off. Today in my email there was a reminder from the site I get my glasses that they're having a big sale the next two weeks. But I need my prescription.

And I can't find it. And I'm letting it get to me.

But let's turn this around and use it as a lesson. How often are we so easily derailed when it comes to our writing? It happens to me all the time. I check my email, go to Facebook, do my networking--but by the end of the day I haven't done any writing. Sigh.

There are good distractions. Family. Even keeping up our networking with our writing friends is important. But it has to be done in moderation. I'm trying to limit my visits to FB to three times a day. Once in the morning, once while the baby is napping, and once in the evening. In the meantime, I can focus on my kids--since they pretty much don't let me do anything else lol--and I can write when they go to bed.

But sticking to the plan is difficult. As I type this, my daughter is next to me moping about how her best friend is gone for the next two weeks, and will miss her birthday. I know I need to talk to her about this, but I also need to get this post out. Focus, focus. :)

In short, life is full of distractions. The trick is finding your focus, and working hard to stick to it. Good luck!