Time Crunch

If there is a universal complaint it's probably not having enough time. Between the demands of family, work, and life in general, there's hardly a soul I know right now who wouldn't welcome an extra hour in the day. Time has been on my mind this week, having written a blog post for a series of pieces on this topic at Andilit. If you're like me, one of the first things to go when you're under a time crunch is your writing time. Whether it's Wednesday or any other day, if your to-do list is longer than the time remaining on your clock, it's not likely that you'll stop everything to sit down and write. But maybe you should.  Even if you can only spend ONE minute - that's right, ONE  - having written a little something can ignite some creative sparks and also give you a sense of writerly satisfaction.  Like a 10 minute powernap or  a quick sprint around the parking lot at lunch, a one minute burst of writing can re-energize your creative juices.

Here's a place to help you do that: One Word offers you not only a one word prompt but a 60 second timer and a space to write in.

Have a minute?  Try it out.

Record Keeping

Sitting on the floor beside my desk is a stack of medical records about two feet high.  I'm supposed to be reviewing them - which means reading through them and documenting the pertinent information for each record. I've been procrastinating this task even more than usual, not so much because the case is uninteresting or unimportant - it involves a medical malpractice case against the U.S. Naval Hospital in San Diego related to a birth defect, so it's actual very interesting and quite important. The main reason I'm so averse to these records is the fact that they're all handwritten.

That's right.  Imagine about 500 pages of chicken scratching and you'll understand my reluctance to delve in.

Handwritten medical records are nearly extinct. Most hospital policy or policy management administrators demand policy software on board that makes medical record keeping safe, succinct, and legible. Even though these records are eight years old, I'm really surprised the hospital didn't have digital record keeping procedures in place.

Alas, they did not, making an already onerous task even more difficult.

Where You Can Find Me

It might seem as if I've been hiding, but I've really been exploring this place called Texas, preparing for a baby named Connor, and enjoying the company of my little family. Though words have not appeared in this space, they have certainly gone round and round inside my head. Some of them may yet find their way onto this page. If you've missed me, you can find me at Andi's blog today, where she was gracious enough to invite me to be a guest blogger in her series about finding time for the things that matter.

Staying At Home

Contribution by Stevie Kirby Gosh, it’s hard being a stay at home mom. No one ever told me before I did this how taxing it would be on me both physically and emotionally but I’m trying to get through it one day at a time. It seems like not so long ago I was an attorney trying to build her own practice going to networking events, looking on BANK-CARD-PROCESSING.com and calling fresh graduates and here I am nowadays up to my knees in diapers. It’s not that I don’t love my kids, I really do, but sometimes I feel like my brain is just melting into mush. It’s tough not having a lot of adult conversations anymore and I know if I tried to go back to work now all I would think about would be the kids so I feel like I’m kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. I always said I wanted to stay at home but I guess I never realized how hard it would actually be on me when it happened!

Write On Wednesday: Outside Opinion

Earlier this summer I participated in an online writing class which turned out to be a very rewarding experience.  I completed six essays on a variety of topics and in a variety of formats, connected with six other amazing writers and got the benefit of their feedback on my work, and got some vital insights about ways I could improve my writing. It's been a long time since I put my writing up for grabs.  Sure, I write blog posts all the time, but since you all are such a forgiving group those posts are like chatty letters to a friend rather than a piece of writing  up for critical review.  I won't lie and say it wasn't a little scary to write something completely different and then put it online for my classmates to read and critique.  But luckily my fellow writers were very supportive, our group leader was gentle, and we all learned a great deal.

Something I missed growing up as an only child was the opportunity to have a critic, someone not afraid to tell you when your outfit looks dorky or your haircut is lame.  I'm sure those of you with siblings are saying, "Opportunity?? It's more like a pain in the a#@!!"  But, taken (and given) in the right spirit, an outside opinion can prove invaluable as you're learning to navigate the wider world.

Same with the world of writing, I think.  Anne Lamott refers to her "second opinion" readers as "midwives," who bring her best work to life. "Theoretically I could do it alone," she says, "but it sure makes it easier to have people helping." I know that I appreciated the writers I worked with this summer, and will not hesitate to seek outside opinions whenever I'm able.