Monday, April 5, 2010

Daily Distractions… (in random order)



1. Landscaping…The snow finally melted, the grass is turning green, and the beds all need to be reshaped and mulched.

2. Dust…I swear a dust fairy lives in my house. I can dust one day and the next day there is another layer of dust sprinkled over my tables and shelves.

3. Social Networking…We’re supposed to blog, tweet, fb etc…to build a platform, but it takes time to do all of those things.

4. Friends…Yes, I do actually have a few friends. Oddly enough they all seem to want to go out for lunch on the same week.

5. Dog…Macy’s trying to lose the weight she put on this winter and wants to go for a walk every day.

6. Query Quandary…Who should I send my work to next? What should I send them? This leads to another distraction…mailbox/email checking.

7. Weather…It’s so nice you work outside, then it storms and BAM you’re out of the mood.

8. TV…I’m a reality TV junkie. Seriously, it’s a problem.

9. Food…You’ve got to buy it or grown it, you’ve got to plan meals, then you’ve got to cook meals and my least favorite chore…clean up afterwards.

10. Gym and Post Gym Naps…I’ve reduced my gym time to two hours a day which reduced my post work out nap, drastically.

What are your distractions? What are your goals for this week?

My good friend Susan is celebrating her 100th follower. Hop over to her blog and get in on her awesome (gift cards…) contest!

34 comments:

  1. Oops--bad typo in the last post.

    1. Catching up on things after my vacation.
    2. Critique group on Wednesday.
    3. Feeling kinda crappy.
    4. My birthday is a week from today. I'll be 24. Hahahahahaha.
    5. Checking for responses to queries and fulls.

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  2. Hi

    Oh gosh I relate to all your disctractions - maybe not with the lovely Macy but Charlie is a full time job - or else he'll wake you up at 4 in the morning for play time!

    I don't go to a gym but I do have an exercise regime every day and they take a whole evening!!

    Anyway! My main distraction is work. The day job! Travelling there and back too. :-)

    My goals for this week? I must get beyond my 140 words. I must also finish my writing course assignment by Sunday! Eeek!

    p.s. I like your new banner!! Lovely!

    pps. Yay to Susan Fields!!

    Take care
    x

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  3. Giggled when I saw your distractions list. Looks eerily similar to mine this week (Spring Break--before I return to my two-job life of teaching and writing).

    Have to add:
    APPOINTMENTS (vet, allergist, cable, etc.)

    ...now where did I put that writing time?

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  4. great list lol! Totally with you on the food-- what a huge pain in the butt it is. We'd all have more time AND money if we didn't have to eat!

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  5. I love your list. :D

    Fortunately my husband likes to do # 1. The dust fairy lives at my house too. Apparently my fourth child is called Not Me. And Not Me is very messy with his toys. And yes, social networking does take a lot of time. I'm also taking two writing courses, but fortunately the assignments are my novel.

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  6. I hope not to have distractions!

    Have got my head down editing my novel. Well, I'm supposed to be. Obviously I wandered off course and ended up here!

    All the best :)

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  7. Oh, goals? I'm supposed to have goals? ;)

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  8. I have six chapters to critique, two blog post to write, a book to finish reading, and I'm thinking about going camping on Friday. :)

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  9. Biggest distraction right now:

    WORK!!!

    (yep. it's monday)

    shelley

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  10. oh I dust and vacuum every day too!! And now the dogs are tracking in yellow pollen on their feet!!!

    I have a stack of library books to get through (one was due today and I'm only half finished... 10 cents a day..), my dogs ALWAYS have to go out to potty, AND I'm totally on a spring cleaning kick. Those are my current distractions from writing.

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  11. LOL! Thanks for your encouragement about my toe. I need to tape it, I just don't want to! I'm so sorry you went through so much with your toe!!

    Um, distractions. Man, I have so many it's not even funny. Number One is definitely the messy house. I pretend it doesn't bother me, but I think it really does, subliminally. The only television show that stops me writing is Project Runway. When they have their back-to-back episodes, my writing time after the kids go to bed is pretty much doomed.

    Great topic, Sharon!
    Amy

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  12. I've been happily reading (and taking notes so I can log it as work for my writing :) this past week. This week? My goal is to finish my two last assignments for my online class.
    Have a great week, Sharon!
    Gorgeous flowers!

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  13. My distraction is that my children are never in school. Never ever ever. I don't think our school district believes in school on Mondays, Thursdays, or Fridays. Okay sorry, just had to get that off my chest.

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  14. Can I just copy and paste most of your list? #1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9... :-)

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  15. There is never enough time to do all that I need to do. After working full time outside the home, serving on church council and the principal's advisory committee at my son's school and maintaining Web sites and working on my YA WIP and continuing to query on my finished MGs and YA and... the list continues. Seriously,I have no time to even watch TV. But I'm not complaining. I'm alive and healthy and have an enormously supportive family. And I would not have met such a supportive friend as you, Sharon, had I not done the online stuff. Blessings to all, Buffy

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  16. Two hours a day at the gym .. and that is the reduced time? Holy mother of zorg!

    and, I hate meal planning the most. it's so tedious to me and I seldom eat what I cook the family anyway *sigh*

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  17. Amy--So glad you are back! I'm glad you had a good time other than the "water" issues...You'll always be 24 to me. :)

    Kitty--I don't know what I would do if I had a job outside of the home...I know I wouldn't be writing or blogging...The picture is of a pub in England that my Grandad took me to on my trip over last summer. :) (Thanks for noticing.)

    Mary--Good luck getting back in the swing of it...I always found myself in panic after spring break...I worried I hadn't taught enough to prepare my kids for the next year. (I'm a chronic worrier...) I forgot about appointments, I guesss I need to edit in a number 11.

    Karen--I was sure by the time we got to the year 2000 we'd just have to take a tablet for each meal. Wouldn't that be wonderful!

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  18. Stina--I really enjoy digging and planting...a LOT more than dusting. Picking up up is my job...it gets done if I'm not to busy posting twittering or facebooking...LOL...What writing courses are you taking?

    Wendy--WTG on goals and lack of distractions...a momentary slip up won't mess you up too much. :) Have a great week!

    Amy--I think getting your feet under you is satisfatory after your big trip to Equador...

    D.L.--You better quit blogging and get busy! I hope you get to go camping on Friday. Are you going to Heber Springs?

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  19. Shelley--Work isn't a bad distraction, especially if it's paid work. :) Have a great week!

    Kristin--Foot prints drive my crazy! The snow/sand/salt foot prints are gone, but you are right now they are pollen prints...UGH! Be careful with those library fines. They can add up fast. I had a $28 fine the last time I went to the library!

    Amy L.--I'm serious about keeping the tape on your toe for a LONG time. A messy house bothers me, but I've been kind of lax since we moved here. I had a schedule in our old house and I stuck to it, here our house is bigger and I go to the gym almost every day....so stuff gets ignored. :(

    Kelly--What class are you finishing up? Congrats! Have a great week. :)

    Susan--My kiddo is always in school. I think they have a 300 day a year schedule here!

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  20. Shannon--copy away...If I have any chores you want to do you can. :)

    Buffy--You are such an amazing woman! The more I learn about you the more amazed I am. You are a rock star! I'm so glad we met. :)

    Tess--I was at the gym three hours a day until mid February. I was seeing no progress, just exhausted. It's pretty amazing that I can get there at 8 and leave at 10...my day seems to have so much more time in it. I cook different meals too. Walt is a meat eater, Katherine and I aren't. The good thing is I always make enough to freeze a meal or two for another day.

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  21. I'm with you on many, many of those fronts. The biggest challenge being the beautiful weather. Today, I managed to be outdoors WHILE writing but I usually can't write during the day so it was a one-time thang. It's Spring. With all your hard work and hanging in through the winter, you deserve some distractions! Good luck :-)

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  22. Melissa--Writing outside is my favorite. I hope you enjoyed it and will get to do it more often. My only (to date) published story was written about what I was observing in a bird's nest in my old backyard. I wrote it on the back of a manuscript I was supposed to be editing...I can't write at night...LOL... Writers are strange creatures. :)

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  23. Ack! The landscaping is killing me, too!!! It's so sunny and pretty and I want to plant flowers!!!!

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  24. Numbers 1-10: totally understand at one point or another.

    Good luck, friend!

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  25. I think the real question for me is "What isn't a distraction?"

    Baseball just started and my spidey distraction senses are already on super alert! No writing will be done for months on end!

    Good luck!

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  26. Beth--It looks like you've had your hands full counting entries....Wow 200! I'm afraid we are still in danger of frost here.

    Jackee--Thanks for the encouragement...I'll beat all of my distractions. I've already done two of my tomorrow things tonight. :)

    Kristi--Basketball is almost over...And I am pleased to announce...I have bragging rites for the next year! I won the bracket at my house, AGAIN... Good luck with your baseball addiction. :)

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  27. A box of chocolates distracted me from commenting, but they're nearly all gone now so here goes...

    Thanks for your comment about an eel story. I didnt think of that. I love your list. Your dust fairy must be the same one that visit here daily!! :o)

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  28. We have very similar distractions. Although I've almost totally cut out TV--blog reading takes up all this time and it drives my husband crazy if we're going to watch a show and I have the computer in front of me. I think a laptop is part of my problem. It's just too portable! I need to plug it in where it belongs: the office.

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  29. Niki--You write non-fiction really well! I love your stories about NZ. Is that a focus of your writing class?

    LiLa--My husband hates that I watch TV with my laptop too. I blog while he watches TV and takes evening naps. I think it's the perfect time to blog.

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  30. I could echo more than half of those!!

    distractions: email, blogs, the puppy, the sunshine, eating and sleeping (why are these necessary?? I could do so much more without them!!). making appointments. keeping those appointments.

    Well, that's today's distractions anyway. :)

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  31. Heidi--Thanks for stopping by. :) I hope your day is full of accomplishments rather than distractions. (My fingers are crossed for everyone...)

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  32. Hi Sharon, your whole list looks familiar! For me, it's mostly the full-time teaching job, the dog, the cats, the house, the yard, the exercise routines, and the reading I love so much.

    xx
    AM

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  33. My list looks a lot like yours, but I have to say that I am in awe that you manage two hours in the gym each day. You go girl!

    Kim

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  34. Anne-Marie--It sounds like you have a full plate! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read my words. :)

    Kim--I'm scared to stop going...after you hit 40+ every day is a battle! Today really wore me out though. I only did 30 minutes on the elliptical and 50 kickboxing...I'm worn out! Thanks for stopping by!

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