When Best Laid Plans Aren't the Best ~ Jacquolyn McMurray

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how to maximize productivity while scheduling in time for exercise and relaxation.  My goal is to manage my time without multitasking—a skill I have never conquered anyway and one that some brain researchers claim lowers your IQ. And, you know, I don’t really want to lower my IQ!

My first stab at maximizing productivity was to chunk my day into time segments that were assigned one focus: writing, researching, revising/editing, cleaning the kitchen, cooking, social media, or responding to email, etc.

This can really work, I told myself. I no longer have children living in our home and hubby spends most of his waking hours outside on our farm.

Here’s how the first day went:   

6 AM - I grabbed my first cup of coffee and headed for my office where I planned to spend ten minutes reading emails and ten minutes scanning Facebook. Thirty-five minutes and a second cup of coffee later, I recalculated how to make up the fifteen minutes I’d used that should have been part of my get-myself-ready-for-the-day chunk of time. I reasoned I didn’t really need to cook a healthy protein rich breakfast—that would save me fifteen minutes. Back on track, I carried a bowl of potato chips to my desk, rolled up my sleeves, and started my designated writing time.

7:15 AM – My fingers were flying across the keyboard! Rarely had I been in such good form.  Words were flowing when up popped a Facebook notice that my brother had sent a message. I had to check into that, you know, in case it was an emergency. The message contained a link to a video that was so hysterical, I had to stop and send it to several of my contacts and while I was at it, I hopped on kdp.amazon.com to see if I’d sold any books since yesterday morning.

And being on an Amazon site reminded me that I forgot to order the gluten-free flour and yeast I’d need to bake homemade bread, because you know I would be so efficient with my new schedule that I would have time to make all our bread from scratch.

9:00 AM – Back to my work-in-progress and the alarm on my phone went off. It was time to feed the chickens, collect eggs, and take a walk. I couldn’t skip this part of the day. I tugged on my socks and tennis shoes and headed out the door. I’d get really productive right after my walk. I’d be refreshed and focused and ready to write, wouldn’t I?

Well, at the chicken coop I was greeted by a hen with a new batch of chicks. I walked back up to the house to grab my phone. I had to film a little video to send to my grandsons. 

When I passed my little garden, I noticed weeds threatening to take over, so I stopped to pull those out. I finally set off for my walk, my Kindle in hand, and audiobook ready to go. When I returned from my walk, I couldn’t just stop the audiobook in the middle of the chapter, so I listened to that chapter and since I was almost to the end of the book, I decided I would fix my lunch while I listened to the rest of the book.

11:00 AM - After posting a review and filling a bowl with chips, I settled back at my desk. I had to get my brain back in the game, so I reread the last chapter I wrote while I nibbled at my chips, then positioned my fingers back on the keyboard. As part of my new chunking of time method, I would draft fast, but insert an asterisk anywhere in the WIP where I needed to do research to check my facts. I'm told it's terribly important to have your facts straight when you write historical fiction. The page I’d typed was filled with asterisks, so I decided I just had to stop and do research, even though research was not even on the schedule for the week. How could I ignore burning questions like:  How did people in Hawai’i in the 1850s light lanterns? Did they even have lanterns? What kind of lanterns were they? How much light did they give off?

Three hours later, I still did not know how Hawaiians lit their lanterns, but I did get a great deal on an online class and found a recipe for gluten-free pumpkin bread with chocolate chips. And when a pop-up ad beckoned me to read an article called "Skin Doctor Begs Women Over 40 to do This Every Morning," I just had to read it. After all, the article might have disappeared in cyberspace and then I would not have known that wiping avocado on my face could save my skin. I couldn’t let my skin go to pot because I ignored the wise internet doctor.

2 PM - I rubbed my eyes and walked back to my bedroom to treat my eyes to some soothing drops. I decided I should draw the blinds and close my eyes to let the drops do their work. Three hours later, I woke up.  

5 PM - It was time to tidy the kitchen and cook dinner. I deserved a glass of wine, right?  

6:30 PM - I joined hubby in the living room to watch tv and to write out my plan for the next day when I'd try again to up my productivity. 

A week later, I'm still trying to develop a schedule that works for me. And I'll think about that more after I watch this really funny video my brother just sent me.