This is a Test

For the last couple days, I’ve been staying with an old friend in Quebec. She works from home writing blogs. She’s set up her life to be very conducive to work. Most important, she sends her small children off to daycare every morning. As awesome as her kids are, it would be impossible to get any writing done with a 3 year old and a 1 year old running around! Second, she sets a timer. An actual ticking kitchen timer. I don’t know how long it’s set for but whenever it’s clicking away, I know not to bug her with my annoying coffee and tea offers. I love the timer! I used timers when I did NaNoWriMo . Actually, I’ve been known to actually tie myself to my chair. With a rope. I am so easily distracted that I will think about a burrito and be halfway down the street to buy one before I remember Oops! I’m supposed to be writing!

My particular challenge to writing consistently is that I’m living on the road. I know, no one’s feeling sorry for me that I’ve been roaming around the country on my bicycle for seven months. I reckon that a writing routine that works for the constantly changing environments that I find myself in should continue working when I go back to living in a regular house. If that ever happens.

I want morning writing to be a part of my daily routine. I feel like this gives me an early win and sets the tone for the day. There should be a second writing period of the day, one in a cafe with the wifis. My giant temptation is to faff around on FB or whatever, fall into that big nonproductive internet hole that eats all my time. So here too, I need to set limits for myself. Set a Frog List of my 3 most important actions that I’m going to achieve with my coffee time. Actions beyond eating a chocolate brownie and looking at fun vacation pictures of places where I’d like to go.

So, here’s my plan: an hour of writing in the morning offline and another hour in a cafe online. I will not go into a cafe without an action list. My first priority is travel stories. My second priority is blogging. And no time like today to start with my plan for success.Tomorrow will be the first test, since I’ve had a comfy bed and house for the first five days of this daily blogging challenge. I’m leaving for Montreal today, so tomorrow’s blog post will be written and posted from the road.

This blog post is in response to Natalie’s 10 Day Freedom Plan Blog Challenge Day 5