Top Ten Time Thieves that
Attack Writers
When
someone stole our credit card information, we cancelled the card. But when time
thieves break into my writing schedule and steal precious time, I shrug and
say, “I’ll do that tomorrow.” Too many of these robberies lead to unfinished projects
and blocked goals.
Your
time stealers may vary, depending on your personality. But I imagine you can
relate to at least some of these productivity robbers:
1. Shallow chitchat. Long conversations—whether in person, on the phone,
or online—about meaningless topics rob my creative energies.
2. Checking emails more twice a day. Yes, I’m eager to see if
that editor bought my article or offered me a book contract, but I’m not THAT
important that I can’t wait a few hours to find out.
3. Unrestrained time on social networking sites. Because I’m a people
person, Facebook and Pinterest can purloin huge chunks of my time. Before I
know it, ten minutes has turned to thirty. Unless I’m using these sites to
market my book or brand, I end up wasting time.
4. Answering the phone during writing time. If I don’t monitor calls, I
lose my momentum, and then it takes awhile to get back into the muse.
5. Arguing, fussing, and fighting. Of course, we need to
discuss why he thinks I shouldn’t quit my day job yet and why I think I should’ve
quit yesterday. But when discussions lead to strife, it may take me hours to
recover my composure enough to write a decent sentence.
6. Distractions. I walk into the kitchen to get a drink of water. I see cat
bowls on the floor and pause to put them in the sink. I realize an eggshell
left from breakfast needs to go down the disposal. While it’s grinding I look
out the window and notice the glider, which needs to be put away before cold weather
comes. I pop outside, etc, etc, etc. Too many of these impulse activities, and
I’ve lost a huge chunk of productive time.
7. Taking care of clutter and possessions. The more I have, the more maintenance
my stuff requires. If I de-junk and de-clutter on a regular basis, I think clearer
and create more.
8. Saying “yes” when I should say “no” to tasks and activities the
Lord never called me to do. Again, my people-pleasing style comes into play
here. I think I’ll be making others happy if I say “yes.” I’m really spreading
myself too thin, which leads to mediocre work.
9. Not delegating. If I try to do everything myself, I don’t give
others the opportunity to help. I also become crabby from overwork and stress,
and my muse languishes.
10. Negative emotions. I waste more time than I care to admit on anger,
frustration, and despair. When I yield to these thieves, they steal my joy and
squelch my ideas. Thankfully, I’m learning to resist them in Jesus’ name, and
kick them out of my brain and my day!
Can you relate to any of the above time thieves?
Do you wrestle with
others not listed here?
Even if you’re not a writer, what
solutions have you discovered that help you stay on task and focused?
