A Writer's Schedule

Found this hysterical blog entry at Meg Cabot's site and I had to mention it here. Even with all the Tab breaks and staring at naked people, she still gets way more writing done than I do. She is an inspiration...a freaking hilarious one, and very motivating.

In the spirit of her entry, here's my daily schedule (and perhaps an explanation as to why I don't have more books finished like she does!):

6:07 a.m.--Groan with limited awareness as husband turns the lights on to shower. Like it would kill him to shower in the dark!

7:01 a.m.--Alarm goes off. Hit snooze button.

7:10 a.m.--snooze again.

7:19 a.m.--snooze again.

7:27 a.m.--yeah, you guessed it. I'm lucky the damn button hasn't broken already

7:36 a.m.--drag myself out of bed and grunt good morning at husband, if he hasn't already left for work.

7:40 a.m.--after turning on my computer, stumble downstairs to make a nice cup of decaffeinated Earl Grey tea, the choice of Starship Captains everywhere! And if you don't get that pop culture reference...for shame. You are obviously not now nor have you ever been a sci-fi geek : )

7:43 a.m.--stumble back upstairs to office with tea and whatever sweet dessert type confection I've found to bribe myself into writing when I could be sleeping.

7:44 a.m. --WRITE!

8:50 a.m. --debate whether I can squeeze in a few more minutes of writing. Starting is always hard and stopping is even more difficult sometimes. It's just getting over that initial hump of convincing myself that I need to be in the chair in front of the computer. Further debate about whether what I've written on this particular day is worth fishing out my jump drive and saving it there as well as my computer.

8:52 a.m.--race into the bedroom to throw on corporate appropriate-clothes and make-up...in between watching some bizarre show on National Geographic or The Learning Channel. Home birthing anyone? Plead with the dogs not to potty on the floor.

9:10 a.m.--throw an old comforter over the bed so Snowy doesn't get the real one all hairy and bolt downstairs. Give the dogs their medications for the day and leash them up for their first daily potty.

9:12 a.m.--plead with Joe to hurry up and go #2, assuring him that the big "For Sale" sign in our yard is, in fact, an inanimate object with no malovelent intentions toward him.

9:16 a.m.--hustle dogs inside and upstairs. Baby-gate them in. Wash hands and grab all my stuff, purse, bag, keys, etc. Curse under breath about being late for meeting.

9:17 a.m.--lock the door and run for my car.

9:18 a.m.--get out of my car and check the house door again as I can't remember if I actually locked the door this day or if I am just remembering another day when I did lock the door and today I didn't.

9:20 a.m.--discover that door was indeed locked. Curse obsessive compulsive disorder under breath and get back in car. Pull out of the driveway and begin commute, praying for green lights and sane drivers.

9:42 a.m.--slow down, remembering that I'm still on court supervision for, what else?, speeding.

10:05 a.m.--arrive at work, five minutes late for ten a.m. meeting, a meeting which rarely takes place but the days it does are inevitably the days I'm running late.

10:07 a.m.--WORK! With plenty of email, blogger and MSBC breaks : )

12:07 p.m.--break for lunch to gossip about company stuff or perhaps squeeze in some writing stuff over lunch. Not real writing, but research or character background material.

4:42 p.m.--begin deliberating about blog topics.

5:08 p.m.--wait until most of the co-workers have gone to write blog and concentrate on final few work things to be finished. I always work better with fewer distractions.

6:27 p.m.--finish up and log off computer. Leave desk.

6:32 p.m.--walk back to desk to make sure that I'm remembering correctly and actually shut down computer instead of just thinking I did. Curse obsessive compulsive disorder under breath.

6:40 p.m.--find car in parking lot and try to get in without touching any super-heated by the sun metal surfaces.

7:01 p.m.--space on out commute and sing loudly to favorite songs on my ipod.

7:25 p.m.--hurry inside house to let the dogs out and to feed and water them.

7:36 p.m.--change clothes and try to find something to eat for dinner.

8:01 p.m.--greet husband with leftover options.

8:15 p.m.--try to convince myself to work on writing again after dinner.

8:47 p.m.--instead decide I'm too tired and lounge on couch and watch bad television or check email.

10:13 p.m.--fall asleep on couch but insist that I'm just resting my eyes while I wait for the weather.

11:30 p.m.--drag myself upstairs to shower and get ready for bed.

12:02 p.m.--wide-awake, thanks to my cat nap, I snuggle into bed and watch The Secret Life of Ramses II or The Wonderful World of Surgery until narrator's soothing voice makes me nod off.

2:07 a.m.--wake up to television blaring on an informercial, husband snoring and my glasses now permanently bent at a 45 degree angle to my face.

Repeat. Yep, I know it's completely inefficient. Any organized people out there with suggestions?