How to Get Rid of the Sog in your Brain

From My Backyard Bowl

                   

            Spring brings sog to my backyard bog. You see, I live in a cedar swamp where there’s perpetual water. White patches of mold. Shifting earth. I look forward to the sun’s higher power that is beginning to burn off the mold, replacing it with lush grass.

            Lately my brain had been feeling soggy, too. I found myself shaking my head and feeling it slosh with the perpetual water of indecision regarding prioritizing my writing and marketing.

            I wondered, should I write another Flash Fiction story for possible publication? Or should I try to rewrite the beginning of my memoir, Summer Heat? How about my other memoir, which I keep avoiding? Or another contest for Wisconsin Writers Association? I really must finish the Study Guide for my first book, and start on one for its soon-to-be-published sequel. Oh, me! What should I focus on today?

            And then there’s the marketing. I must organize my files so I can return to calling libraries about my book. Soon craft fairs will start, and I must choose the ones at which to vend. I’m already waaaay behind on my blog posts, and have nearly blown Facebook entries out of the water.

            What about guest blogs? And … and …. Got the soggy picture?

            Hope springs eternal, they say, and for me it has come, in part, through Robert W. Bly’s book, Make Every Second Count. His tips on successfully managing time are worth trying. Some of them are already working for me, helping in my productivity. Here are a few you might try, too:

• Keep a to-do list. Keep several. Keep it up. Though I’ve been a list keeper for years, I’ve gone a step farther. I’m breaking each item into daily time segments. And I’m prioritizing.
• Plan tomorrow’s day tonight. Wow, this gets me working immediately on my new to-do list. No hesitations, no soggy thoughts about procrastinating. No feelings of angst about writing.
• Keep my list visible. Change it around when necessary. Check off each item as I finish. That one is a real morale booster.
• At the end of the day, record my completed activities in my journal or log. I use a Day-Timer notebook, which offers on each daily page a diary/work record. It’s encouraging to look back and see what I’ve actually accomplished.

These simple tips have removed some of the sog from my brain, so I intend to keep

implementing them in my workday of writing and marketing. Why don’t you give them a try, too? And let me know the outcome.

            That’s today’s news from the Backyard Bowl.