Making the Time.

My thoughts have been turned, once again, to how much time I actually allot to writing. The answer, always, will be a resounding not enough, and sometimes I wonder if there’s anything I could be doing to close the gap between not enough and just about enough, or at least lessen the gap since I’m pretty sure it can never be completely closed. Sure, if I’m keeping a good pace, I write a page or more of something new every day, which is better than nothing, but I do wish I devoted more time to just sitting my butt down and pouring over an edit or a new short story or something like that.

My problem is always my attention span; I have none. Sitting down and working for a good hour straight is nearly impossible for me unless I’m actually somewhere else, like in a park or a hotel or something. At home, forget about it. There are simply too many other things to do at home. Computer games, books, video games, kitchens to clean, cats to play with. And so I tend to do a sort of OCD multitasking thing where I attempt to get a little bit of everything done. Sometimes it works out well; other times, I mostly just waste the day away.

It would be nice, I think, to try and take some time off, and actually go and stay somewhere for a few days, with the sole intent of it being a “working holiday,” where I can just write and visit some interesting things in the area. It seems a logical thing for a writer to do and, in a way, I think it might be a good solution to my stress about work. Maybe it’s not so much that I need to dial it back from two jobs; it’s just that, every so often, I need to take a break from both jobs and kind of get in touch with myself and my writing. Summer’s getting here, so there will be lots of opportunities for beautiful days, maybe cheap campgrounds or, if I hit up a city, a cheap hotel for a few days to just sort of be a wandering writer.

Just a thought, for maybe when things calm down a bit. The trick would be the ability to actually get a handful of days off at both jobs, but it does seem like a nice little respite, and productive, too! I have the benefit of not too much else tying me down: even my roommate could take care of the cats in my absence. It might just be wishful thinking, as I consider that I haven’t had a day off since Monday and won’t have another until Wednesday, but it would be so nice!