Sometimes you really need a plan
With time off over the holidays coming up, I plan to take advantage of a lack of meetings and other work to do some of my own writing. I even blocked off two full days that I want to consider as “writing retreat days.” Putting them in my calendar is a smart move; unfortunately, it isn’t likely to be enough to make those days a success.
This became very clear to me when Craft Talk author Jami Attenberg shared the itineraries for one-day at home “retreats” that her writer friends Kristen Arnett and Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya had created for themselves. You can see them in this post - it’s free.
I instantly knew that I needed to create my own version of this for my little at-home retreats. These examples reminded me that if I want the days to be both productive and enjoyable, I should plan ahead for everything I’ll need, including snacks and meals. How much time might I waste wandering around my kitchen trying to figure out if there’s anything good for lunch? A lot, I can assure you.
My task for next week will be to create my schedules, complete with time for breaks and movement. As I look forward to doing this, it occurred to me that this is a great technique for approaching any day or half-day project where you want to set yourself up for success.
For example, if you were planning to spend a day organizing your closets, you could create a plan for the day with reasonable time blocks for the organizing work as well as meals, breaks, and maybe a trip to the donation centre with all the stuff you’ll be ready to give away.
You could also use this for a craft or decorating project, or even a day off where you know you really need to do some relaxing activities like read or stretch, but you’re probably going to putter around aimlessly and not actually do anything nice.
For myself, I know that the wide-open luxury of a whole day to write can easily collapse under the stress of trying to plan the day on the fly: should I take a coffee break now? Do I feel like going out somewhere to work for a while? What am I going to eat? (Let’s face it, the food question is VERY IMPORTANT).
I also know that when I try to tackle bigger projects around the house, I might end up pushing through without taking breaks and ending up hangry and unhappy with the whole experience. Enforcing a schedule of sorts would be a much healthier way to proceed.
What could you make yourself a fun little itinerary for?
What I’m reading: All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation, by Elizabeth Gilbert. Her new memoir - with a very different love story than Eat Pray Love.
What I’m watching: Project Runway Canada, just for fun.
Leslie, I love this idea of blocking off time on the calendar as a “writing retreat”. This is such a good idea and you don’t have to go anywhere other than your favourite and I am writing spot to accomplish me it!