There are some stretches of life that burst at the seams with to-do lists, calendar items, and event after event after event. For me, this is one of those stretches. The next six weeks are bound to be incredibly hectic. I knew this was coming. The timing of several fairly major things was uncertain until today, and it turns out they’re all happening at once! đŸ™‚
On the one hand, I’m pursuing a promotion at work. I’ve known this was a possibility since late summer, when we heard a key player on our team was leaving for a more minty-shaded pasture. I’ve had the same job for seven years, although it has evolved along with my skill set…but I’m feeling ready for a change. And this would really be more of an upgrade, instead of a complete change, since I’d still be working with the same folks, in the same office, etc. I’m blessed with interesting, diverse projects and a great team, so I’d be excited to move up into a leadership position. We shall see what happens, but for now it is absorbing some of the energy I have grown used to putting into writing.
On the other hand, I’ve received back all of the beta comments and edits on Queen Witch. I’ve given this latest set a quick perusal, and I’m excited by a lot of the comments, so that’s fun! Some will be tougher to work through, so I’m sleeping on how to best approach them. And any progress on the book will have to wait until my day job/application stuff is complete for the day.
Of course both of these things are happening at what is one of the most hectic times of year, especially when you have a big family — the holidays. Our calendar still isn’t completely worked out, so I’m not sure how many December weekends we’ll have plans. Thanksgiving looks mild, with plans only on the day of. Talk about something to be thankful for!!
So what’s my strategy for dealing with overload on multiple fronts? (Keep in mind that since I have little children, I don’t let myself turn into the crazy snarling b**ch I used to morph into at times of high stress. I have to find ways to actually cope, while still being a nice, positive person to be around.) Here’s the strategy: I’m focusing on MORE, instead of negative thoughts about SCARCITY. There is enough time to do what’s important. I just have to clearly assess and stick with my priorities.
This week the first priority is the day job, and the second priority if I have time left is making progress on Queen Witch edits. Next week my application will be in for this promotion, and I’ll be sprinting toward publication of Queen Witch! Yay!
One item is now going to drop from my list of goals at the moment — I’ve written the first 7,000 words of the second Foulweather Twins book so far in November. Now I’ll be flexible with myself, after self-congratulations on getting the first 13% written. I’m at a natural stopping point right now. Yesterday I made more notes on the next section of the book, thinking through timing and pacing and what I wanted to show vs. summarize. So now is a good time to set it aside until Queen Witch is out. If I get all antsy I might write more of it before then, but I’m not setting a goal for it. Any more word count in November is bonus.
Wow, you are SO busy! Sometimes life is a flurry, isn’t it?
Speaking of edits on Queen Witch…if you have edits that are difficult, it may be that the edits aren’t right for the book. Always follow your gut feelings.
Good luck with the promo and the edits! This time of the year is super crazy for me at work, too.