It’s weird to be so out of balance when I am working from home. After all, you would think that I could fashion my whole day however I like. Theoretically this is true. But rarely does it happen that I manage to engage in all of the areas of my life. Usually I am able to juggle 3 or 4 things in a day but that might mean I don’t get around to doing the other 3 or 4 things that need attention as well.
I just finished working at the film festival and while it was great fun and a needed break from my writing routines, it was exhausting. I managed to write throughout the festival but just barely, just enough to get my work to my editor’s on time before falling asleep to visions of Zach Braff and Christian Bale. After the festival, I caught up on opening the mail of the past three weeks, grocery shopping, laundry, and a thousand emails that had gone unanswered while I was at the box office at 7:30 a.m. amidst freshly popped popcorn for the films showing before 9 a.m. That took a couple of days. Meanwhile, assignments piled up as did my library books, emails and calls to be returned.
Now that the festival is long gone, I have resumed my old routine of getting up early and getting to work, but after working all day at the computer, I am still behind, panting to try and catch up.
After the middle of the month, it will die down. Most of my deadlines will be over, at least for a little while and I will be able to breathe again.
In the meantime, I am trying to enjoy this time of working hard. At least I am liking the stories I am working on and the editors have been great. These assignments are all for new magazines so it could have been a nightmare so far and other than the time pressure to get everything done and in one time, it’s been fun.
It’s just like with actors and job offers – no matter how hard you try to spread things out, it all comes in at once.
So I’m going to make it my mission to just take it all as it comes and work until it’s done. Also, I’m thinking that the impetus of all of this might also make me do more in the time I have, because after the festival was over, I was so grateful to have my days back to write and not just little pockets of time to cram my energy into.
So I’m off to write and work and try and do just one more thing each day, even though I don’t think I have the time. It’s a wonky experiment I know, but it’ll be fun. Plus, I can write and tell you all about it afterwards.
