Holidays Wreak Havoc on Deadlines
Thanksgiving came and went this year with the usual craziness as my daughter worked her magic on pastries and bread dough. I was thrilled she and my son-in-law got to spend a couple of extra days with me this year, allowing us to resurrect old traditions like a Thanksgiving Day movie.
The week before their arrival was a whirlwind of cleaning and organizing; not my strong suit, but something I can accomplish if sufficiently motivated. Needless to say, something had to give, 
and again, it was my writing schedule that suffered. Fortunately, my insistence on having 3 weeks’ worth of blog posts in the queue saved me once again. Though it meant spending the next week or two playing catch up so my queue was once again up-to-date, when the dust cleared, although I’d missed about 2 weeks of deadlines, I still had a week or so of posts in the queue. Unlike previous years, I wasn’t scrambling to ensure things published on time.
I’d even gotten all my Medium posts for December scheduled earlier than normal which eased the pressure to achieve the lofty goals I’d set for myself earlier in the year. Two areas did suffer additional setbacks; my novel “Sasha’s Journey”, and my memoir “Rebuilding After Suicide”. Yet for some reason, I’m not so frantic about catching up with those schedules as I am about publishing regularly and on time.
Learning How Best to Meet Expectations
This year has been one of lessons and epiphanies. I have definitely upped my game with regard to personal expectations. I’ve also learned schedules sometimes slip, and time spent beating myself up about it is time better spent on getting myself back on track. A simple lesson to some, but after years of self-flagellation, a tough one for me to internalize and put into regular practice.
The results of the lesson have been readily apparent. Catching up after falling behind happens much more easily these days. I don’t go through a period of depression or self-abuse when I tear down all the good things I’ve accomplished as far as self-confidence and self love. I’m also learning to recognize when letting my schedule slip isn’t a bad thing.
I know that sounds weird, especially coming from someone who spent years in a corporate environment where people got cranky if you missed a deadline. The truth is, I’m often at my most creative and prolific when I get behind. I’m able to spend hours in front of my computer pounding out stories; creating new pieces in a shorter amount of time than I do when I’m keeping up. Like the days when I had lots of deadlines looming, I become more focused and able to sit still and concentrate for longer periods of time.
Giving Monkey Mind the Slip
As someone who is easily distracted by the slightest thing, it’s a huge bonus when I find myself 
suddenly immune to distractions, if only for a couple of days. These are the times I’ll knock out 2 or 3 blog posts in a day and get at least one more chapter of “Sasha” uploaded to ChapterBuzz. To put it in perspective, on a good day I normally might get one post written but not formatted or scheduled, and one chapter of “Sasha” edited and uploaded.
Little things conspire to drag me away from my computer and my mind away from the creative state where my internal editor and critic find a bone to chew on that isn’t my writing. It’s times like this that produced the 8,000 word night during one of my adventures into NaNoWriMo. It doesn’t happen often, and is typically motivated by a frantic feeling that I’m so behind I might never catch up. The funny thing is, when the dust clears, I’ve typically done far more than merely caught up.
Though it’s years since I left the corporate jungle behind, my tendency to be motivated by overwhelm and what feels like insurmountable deadlines is alive and well. I still produce more when I feel like time is short.
Sticking With the Plan
Thanksgiving was only the beginning of this year’s chaos and the gremlins waiting to wreak havoc on my schedule. There’s still the Christmas wrapping frenzy, if a lot smaller this year, and the upswing last year’s string of tragedies has given my social life. Where I used to go out twice a week like clockwork, I’m now out 3 or 4 nights. It means less nights spent at home pounding the keyboard so I need to accomplish what I’ve set out for myself during daylight hours.
Adding a daily walk to my regimen cuts into my time even more, though in some ways, the exercise and fresh air first thing in the morning inspires rather than hinders me. I’m finding everything I add conspires to make me more efficient. I’m less inclined to play games on the computer or get sucked into movie marathons. Nights when I’m not dancing have become my editing time. As long as I get something written during the day, I can and will edit and schedule it before I lay my head down for the night.
Evolution of a Freelance Writer
Looking back at the last 6 years, I’m beginning to see why progress was so slow for the first few.
As crazy as it sounds, I had too little to do, so it was easy to procrastinate. When I pile my plate high, it’s harder to make excuses or go off on unproductive tangents. Apparently, I’m one who accomplishes more the busier I am. A true testament to the old adage If you want something done, ask a busy person.
In that way, I’m taking after my daughter who I’ve come to refer to as “The Overachiever”. This year, she’s carrying 18 units in school, helping a grad student with a lab project, running a Girl Scout Troop, and serving as the collection point for a diaper drive for needy families. Meanwhile, she creates beautiful handmade gifts for her friends, centerpieces for Thanksgiving, and an Advent box for me (she discovered last year that what she wanted to put in was too heavy for a calendar, and in fact, she needed a bigger box this year than last!).
Inspiration and Motivation Flow Freely
Since she’s my inspiration in so many ways, and was the reason I started my blog, my memoir, and did my first NaNo, I can’t help but follow in her footsteps, even if she’s half my age with twice the energy. She also beat me to the punch and had an article published this year. I couldn’t be more proud—or more motivated to get my act together and finish the many projects I’ve started.
Motivation and inspiration must ultimately come from within, but it doesn’t hurt to have an example in the form of someone I love and respect to help draw them out of the deep, dark, resources of myself. Left to my own devices, I’m prone to sloth, though not for long periods. My ADD gets annoyed at the lack of variety and searches for something else to do. Eventually, my creative side gets her turn, and when she does, she’s like a bulldog with a tasty bone. Just try taking away her moment to shine!
Who needs excessive amounts of caffeine when the grinning gargoyles of missed deadlines send me running for my keyboard?
About the Author
Sheri Conaway is a Holistic Ghostwriter, and an advocate for cats and mental health. Sheri 
believes in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income. If you’d like to have her write for you, please visit her Hire Me page for more information. You can also find her on Facebook Sheri Levenstein-Conaway Author. And check out her new group, Putting Your Whole Heart Forward.
Be sure to watch this space for news of the upcoming releases of ” Rebuilding After Suicide” and “Sasha’s Journey”.
