After my daughter was born, everyone recommended that I get her on a schedule as soon as possible. Books, doctors, other parents, friends, strangers, everyone. For some unknown reason, I was completely offended by this notion and I tried to fight back. In the end, nature won, and we settled into a routine, and once we had it down my daughter flourished. To this day it's still incredible to me the difference in my children that I see when they're on schedule compared when they're not. They are hard people to be around when taken too far away from the schedule they know and love. It's made me realize how important a routine is, especially now that I'm writing.
Everyone is on somewhat of a schedule, even the unpredictable creates a pattern eventually. I had a schedule before my daughter was born, it was just incredibly lame. Wake up, take a shower, go to work, come home, watch tv, sleep, repeat. I was unhappy and bored out of my mind. But, like my kids, I couldn't just step away from it. I think it took them coming into my life to force me to reach for something greater in my life other than obesity and tv re-runs.
Now that I'm writing, and have two kids to cart around my routine is slightly insane, but I'm also happier than I've ever been in life so maybe I've stumbled onto something. Here's a basic run-down:
- Wake up at the unGodly time of 6:15am.
- Eat, feed children, and get everyone dressed and out the door.
- Workout! This is possible the most important step for me, I do a lot of working while working out. I alternate running and yoga.
- Shower and snack!
- Check email, facebook, write my blog post for the day, and check the interwebs for submission opportunities.
- Writing, editing, or submitting.
- Lunch, typically hunched over a computer.
- Pick up the kids.
- Feverishly try to wrap up whatever I was working on before my two tornados were home, while they destroy my house.
- Play with kids.
- Reading time! I read plays for Berkeley Rep, I try to get through one a week (I'm far far behind).
- Dinner, bath for kids, and bedtime (hopefully) for one or both children.
- My most favorite time to write!
- Husband comes home, I usually have time to watch one hour of tv before I collapse.
Not bad at all, when it comes right down to it. When I'm really plugging away on something, everything goes out the window to that of course… Oh, and you have to add in cooking, laundry, and cleaning too. And I go to scene nights most weeks, and shows too. It's one hell of a life I lead, at least I don't have time to get bored!
I'm not sure I would be able to write as much as I do without my routine. It keeps me creating work, and for that I am grateful. What's your day like?