Okay, maybe not just the weekends, but.. mostly.
To start at the beginning, this post is about trying to balance everything you have going on in your life, with your writing.
I’ve never been a 9-5′er and I’m not the best at keeping to a schedule. I tend to be a bit obsessive about whatever I’m doing, and have a hard time pulling away. I’m pretty much a binger, in all things I do. (One of the reasons I prefer to watch TV shows on DVD< I can watch the whole season in two or three days) Which works well for some things, not so well for others.
When I first started writing, I wrote constantly. I'd go to work, come home, write, sleep, got to work, write, sleep, write, work... so on. Then I quit my job and did nothing but write for a while. That lasted a little over a year before I headed back to work, just part time. Mainly because I'm single, I live alone, and when I did nothing but write, I became a true Hermit. Anyone ever see that movie Secret Window with Johnny Depp? I wasn't quit that bad, but it was getting there. 
Recently I took a break from writing, completely. I focussedon getting back to normal, going out with friends, working at the bar, hitting the gym a bit. Basically, rebuilding my life after being a hermti for a while.. Now, I'm getting back to writing, but I'm not quiting my night job at the bar. I work 3-4 shifts a week and I like it. I like dealing witht eh people (mostly) and I liek the money, and the commraderie of working there. Plus, working there helps me stay motivated and inspired with my writing.
Since January I've been trying to get back to writing on a regular basis, but I keep getting distracted. It's not in m to set a gola of a certainmnumber of words a day, or a week, and make myself do them before I have my off time. I understand the theory of it, and I knwo it works for many may people, but not me.
What works for me is when I want to write, I do nothing but write. So, my new plan is to be a weekend writer. Well, a 2 day writer. whatever 2 days a week I have off in a row, those are my ‘nothing but writing’ days. The nights I work at the bar, those days are the days I do other writing ’stuff’. (the website stuff, blog posts, promotional stuff, and even brainstorming.) I also have on other day in the week where I don’t work at the bar, and it’s not in the 2 days together writing days. That day is my day off to do whatever I want. Read, watch DVD’s, party, …whatever I want.
So it goes like this..for example.
Monday ~ Write
Tuesday ~ Write
Wednesday ~ Bar & Business Stuff
Thursday~Bar & Business Stuff
Friday ~ Bar & Business Stuff
Saturday ~ Day off!!
Sunday ~ Bar & Business Stuff
I only started this plan in the last 2 weeks, but it’s been working great so far. I almost feel organized!
So tell me, how do you balance everything you want to do in life? Especially those of you with families. How do you do it all?
