Creating: Taking Stock

I don't know about you, but I need to stop every once in a while and take stock of where I am. Not physically where I am, but where I am in relation to my goals and my to-do list.

When I do this, I also think about if I'm on the right track or if I've jumped track along the way and am rolling along out of control. I do that sometimes, too, without realizing it. Or sometimes I think I am, but when I take stock, I'm not.

I probably don't do this as often as I should. And I don't do it on a regular schedule. Usually it's when things get a little off kilter and I feel out of control.

So last week, things got a little off kilter. And I stopped to take stock.

Sure enough, what with my house being Grand Central Station for all sorts of family and with my attention focused on reducing the amount of time I've been devoting to the whole social media scene ... my writing time got shoved in the corner. Along with my reading time. I still managed a little of each, but not much.

So I gave my family and the social media part of my brain notice: No More Mr. Nice Guy.

Writing Time has reclaimed it's front-and-center position. It feels good.

What is especially amazing to me is that I keep track of my time on a writing planner. I know the hours I put in for each thing. But it wasn't until the family circus arrived that I had a problem. Until then, I just worked more so my writing hours didn't go down. But this week, I couldn't work more because of other priorities. That's when I noticed that my available time went to social media instead of writing. Or in my current state, instead of pre-planning characters and plot for my next manuscript.

Sometimes it takes a change-up for us to see what is right before our eyes all along.

Does this happen to you, too? Or is it just me?