Another day, another blog.  And a week since my last posting where I challenged myself to ask, “Where is my but(t)?” whenever I am tempted to say, “I should be writing, but…” 

So, where has my but(t) been?  This is a fruitful self-check I plan to run through on a weekly basis,  especially after an e-mail I received from a friend this morning which read:

“Now that you aren’t all tied up in homework, you probably have a lot of free time.”

Free time?  Does that include catching up on mounds of accumulated laundry, vacuuming weeks’ worth of cat fur-lined baseboards and seat cushions, or rifling through piles of paperwork that seem to reproduce like rabbits each day?  Or perhaps it means scheduling home maintenance, calling in prescriptions, requesting immunization records, exchanging a defective piece of clothing, or taking the car in for scheduled service. 

Additionally, this week’s free time has included writing and posting an article for my online writer’s network, working on essay revisions for submission to a literary magazine, looking for employment, preparing resumes and cover letters for a dozen jobs, scheduling two interviews and attending one, re-establishing a former working relationship, and writing this blog.

But—and there is that but, again—it seems the busy-work can and will crowd out the activities that should take priority in my days.  So that is when I need to accept that the laundry will always be there, and the vacuuming can be done another day.  And as long as the important things are covered, then I need to schedule the time to write…no buts allowed.  However, first I need to get my butt to the gym.  More next week on writing without distractions. ~ cs