|
||||||||||
|
Subscribe to the Absolute Write Newsletter and get the Agents! Agents! Agents! report free! Click here.
|
Win a 1-year subscription to Writer's Digest by subscribing to Absolute Markets-- all paying markets for your writing. Click here. |
|
| |||||||||||||
|
|
The Ten-Minute Attitude
Adjuster You make breakfast. You
get the kids ready. You hop in a
shower. You take them to school.
You go grocery shopping. You
run sixteen errands before they come home, at which time you take them to soccer
practice, dance class, and a friend’s birthday party.
You make dinner, then clean the house.
You check their homework and tuck them in bed.
And by the time you’re done with all this, pretty much all you want to
do is to crawl into bed and sleep for the next twelve hours, but you can’t,
because tomorrow morning you have to do it all again. Sound about right? YOU’RE ON HYPERDRIVE The problem with being a person-who-does-it-all is that
there’s such little time to stop and assess whether you’re actually doing
anything enjoyable for yourself. Yes,
just for yourself. Not for your
spouse, your kids, your in-laws, or the neighbors.
You probably spend the little down-time you have just vegging out with
the TV, a book, or in a bath, but none of those things are creatively
fulfilling. You probably have half a dozen goals that you’ve put off
for “someday,” like writing that novel you just know you could write, or
getting back to painting again. But
when you look at them as a whole, they just sound like big, monstrous
undertakings that you couldn’t possibly have time to complete.
And that leaves you feeling stretched out, unsatisfied, and maybe even a
little resentful of your family. TEN MINUTES A DAY That’s why, instead of deciding, “I’m going to write
a novel today,” you have to instead decide, “I’m going to spend ten
minutes today creating something and enjoying myself.”
That’s all. No pressure,
and no guilt needed, because it’s only ten minutes. During those ten minutes, you get to be the captain of your
ship and do whatever it is that will please you most at that very moment.
You do not have to work toward any specific goal, nor do you need to
write down a plan or a schedule. You
might use those ten minutes toward any creative or business endeavor of your
choosing, but it must be something you’re doing strictly for your own
satisfaction. No baking brownies
for the kids’ bake sale or straightening up your office.
This is time to reflect on and create your own joy. NO INTERRUPTIONS It’s important that your family respect your ten-minute
oasis. You may develop a special
sign that it’s “creativity time” and there are to be no interruptions.
Some people put a little sign on the doorknob, others set a timer to beep
at the end, so their children will know when it’s okay to talk to them again.
Writer Katy Terrega puts on headsets when she wants her children to know
it’s mom’s special writing time. There’s
nothing actually playing in the headsets, mind you, but that’s her little
secret. The kids assume she can’t
hear them, so they don’t talk to her while she’s wearing them. MORE THAN JUST RELAXATION Sure, writing a novel might be great, but maybe what you
really need today is just to close yourself into the bathroom, slather
moisturizer all over your body, give yourself a face mask, and just sit back and
listen to that old CD you love. That’s
fine, as long as it’s not every day. If that’s how you’re using your ten minutes every day,
then all you’re doing is relaxing, not creating your own satisfaction.
Relaxing is important, too, of course, so do both!
Ten minutes for relaxing, and ten minutes for creating.
Come on, you’re worth at least 20 minutes a day. HOW TO DECIDE The concept of taking time for yourself may be so foreign
that you’ve forgotten what kinds of things you enjoy. Your own happiness is so entwined with the happiness of your
family that you start to think the things that they enjoy must be the things you
enjoy, too. But think back to your own childhood and early adult years.
What was it that you loved to do best? How about fingerpainting?
No, I’m not kidding. Have
yourself a little time warp and play with play-dough, make paper mache, or draw
something with markers. Reading is nice, but it’s a passive activity, which is
not the same as actually creating something yourself. Why not write a poem, or a song, or an essay to submit to
your local newspaper? Why not write
your own greeting card? You might also: record yourself singing, learn how to sew,
design your own web page, make yourself some jewelry with beads you bought at a
craft store... CREATING IS ADDICTIVE As you start enjoying this creative time more and more, you
may find that you’re ready to take another step. Instead of cleaning out the refrigerator today, go out and
take a ceramics class, or visit the scrapbooking store and look through examples
and find out how to get started. As you become less harried and more satisfied with your own
life, you may find that you’re an even better spouse and parent than you ever
were before you started these “selfish” ten-minute breaks.
Those who are creatively fulfilled have more to give to their families.
You might even find that your self-esteem soars when you have
“projects” of your very own to show off. Jenna Glatzer is the editor-in-chief of www.absolutewrite.com, a popular and free online magazine for writers. She is also the best-selling author of OUTWITTING WRITER'S BLOCK AND OTHER PROBLEMS OF THE PEN, which is recommended by The Writer magazine and Writer's Digest Book Club, and has received terrific reviews from writers. Check it out, along with Jenna's other books, at http://www.absolutewrite.com/jenna/books.htm. |
Sponsored links 
Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer! How to find a book publisher |
Text on this site Copyright © 1998-2007
Absolute Write, all rights reserved.
|
