In Leenie’s recent post, she wrote about getting organized. It was fabulous, as I always expect from Leenie. She is a very organized and focused person, and I greatly admire that about her.
My own post is going to be about routine. I have learned in the last six months that I must have a routine in order to write and publish like I need to, and when something changes in my life, it throws my routine, and my writing, out of kilter.
In June, when school let out, I was writing pretty regularly. Then, I bought Burton Cottage and moved…just as my teacher pay was ending and I became dependent upon my writing skills. The move and the stress involved threw my routine right out the window, which meant no writing got done. As a result, The Essence of Love came out a month late. 
Jasper
Then, just as I published Matches Made at Netherfield, I was blessed to begin fostering two dogs. Now, I am adopting them, and I adore them, but…having them has once again thrown my routine out the window. I sit today, writing this post, at a library in the next town (it’s quieter than the one in my town.) If the dogs know I’m in the house, they pester me constantly, and no writing has gotten done, other than blog posts, for four or five weeks.
Obviously, I was able to overcome the issue of the move and write Essence and Matches. How? Well, I established a new routine, and as I settled more into Burton Cottage, things just sort of worked themselves out. Then, Rose gave me a bit of a kick in the backside and Leenie helped me think through a plan for writing. Once I got “moving” again, it was easy. 🙂
I’m still working through the change with Jasper and Selena. Coming to the library was a good first step, and I have been able to write two blog posts in one day…almost one thousand words combined! That’s the most I have written in a day since the dogs came to me. Once again, Leenie talked me through some planning, and that plan, combined with the gates that are soon going to be reinstalled across my driveway, will hopefully get me writing at home again soon!
“Wait,” you cry, “What do you mean by gates?” What I mean is that the gate across the drive that enclosed my backyard needed repaired. Once it’s up, except for extreme snow, cold, or heat, those dogs are spending a lot of time outdoors so I can write! They seem to love being outside, and they hate leashes, so I’m thinking that it will work out well. Of course, they won’t be out there all day unless they wish it. 🙂 (Since I wrote this, the first gate is up. It needs a piece of fencing across the bottom so the dogs can’t get out, but it’s there. 🙂 )
Now for a question…how do you handle changes in your routine? Do those changes throw your productivity off? Do they make your kids crazy and hard to live with? What do you do to get yourself back on track?
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how do I handle changes to my routine? badly. very badly. so bad that i even avoid fixing it because i look ahead and anticipate the next breakdown so what’s the point? just today i was thinking about my son transitioning to high school, next August, will change everything.
of course, realistically i know it won’t chsnge all that much, so i am trying to ignore that interfering voice in my head.
Oh, I know that feeling so very well!! (((hugs)))