Tuesday, April 22, 2008

What is this "schedule" of which you speak?

5:00-6:00?! In the morning?!!! Yikes! Exclamation points!!!

I'm more of a late morning, afternoon sort of person. I only see 5 or 6 in the morning if I need to catch a plane.

As for my writing schedule, there's my intended schedule and my actual schedule. I always intend to get up around 7 or 8, get to the grad carrels by 8 or 9, and write until 11:30 or 12 (for lunch or a meeting). The rest of the day depends on the day, as I work in the writing center on Wednesdays from 1-2 and have meetings every other week. But generally I'm back in the grad carrels by 2:30 on meeting days, by 1:30 on non-meeting days, and I write until about 4:30-5.

That's the idea, at least.

In practice, it goes a little more like this: I get up around 8:30 - 9:30, get to the grad carrels by 10, screw around for a half an hour checking email and playing scramble on facebook, write for an hour and a half or so, then go to lunch and/or meetings. I get back to the grad carrels by 2 and write for a few hours.

then feel guilty for the rest of the evening because I'm not writing enough.

SO, I'm really trying this week to be more focused when I'm in the grad carrels, and to work after dinner (which is particularly difficult since my significant other doesn't have to bring work home with him). So tonight I'm reading over chapter 2 and trying to make a few changes so I can send it to my chair. If I could do that tonight, she'd have my intro and first two revised chapters. And I'd feel pretty good about that.

Which means I should go back to work.

3 comments:

Billie said...

LOL, Abby! 5:00 to 6:00 in the morning is the most optimum time when I'm awake and alert . . . and not burdened by, oh, a full-time job! :-)

I read your "schedule" and I'm so envious!!!!!! I wish I could just have the dedicated time to get the work done.

Abby said...

I know, it's an incredibly lovely thing to be on fellowship and just be able to write (or mostly to be able to write) and not have to work full-time. Given that, I should be taking more advantage of it. I'll never have this sort of opportunity again -- well, not until sabbatical.

But, happily, I worked quite a bit tonight and revised chapter 2 and a bit of my introduction and sent them both to my chair.

Tomorrow is filled with meetings and classroom observations, but I'm talking with my chair and am going to formulate a plan for revising either chapter 3 or 4. I only have 4 more weeks, so I gotta keep chugging along.

Billie said...

YOu can do it! And we're here supporting you. Keep on truckin' (as Meagan says).