My writing karma has been off a bit. It’s not difficult to ascertain the problem. It’s obvious. We have a houseful of people and pets right now. You see, I used to be alone in my own little world. It allowed me to think clearly and be more productive. While I love my extended family, I’ve found myself longing for some peaceful karma to write by. There’s something positive in every situation, of course. Having this experience has taught me to find peace amid chaos. Here’s how I do it and how you can too.
I created a peace zone for my writing.
When I write, I like to be in my comfort zone. I don’t like noise, interruptions, bickering and such. With my daughter and grand-kids here, we simply have the normal noise of a happy, healthy family. Unfortunately, I’ve become used to quiet at my age. I just can’t work like that. Mostly I write while the two youngest grand-kids are in school. That helps a lot. I also set up my work station in my bedroom. It’s away from the rest of the house. It has its’ own bathroom and best of all, people know they have to knock before entering.
You can do it too.
Just find an area in your house with what you consider good karma. It doesn’t have to be a room. It doesn’t even have to be what I like in a writing space. Cater to your own needs when selecting your writing space.
I did away with the clutter.
It’s no good having a messy peace zone. That’s not peaceful at all for me. I keep my little writing corner clean and organized. It helps me concentrate. It’s hard to write when I’m staring at a mess that needs to be addressed. My writing corner is also decorated with my favorite colors and objects that make me feel relaxed.
You can do it too
Pick up a couple pieces of decor that make you happy. Keep it simple or go all out. Do whatever works for you. Maybe you don’t need complete quiet to write. Maybe you like a little mess and a little socialization in your writing day. That’s OK. Design your writing space the way you like. Good karma may be different for you.
I stopped being a slave to my house guests
That sounds terrible,doesn’t it? It wasn’t that bad. I do, however have a helper gene. It’s hard for me to not offer a ride to someone with no car and 4 kids, especially when that someone is my own daughter. I got into the habit of helping out a little too much. It was taking up half my work day. So, I stopped running non-emergency errands, for the most part. That frees up more time for me to write.
You can do it too.
Make it clear that there are certain hours when you’re not available for favors, barring emergencies. Don’t be afraid to give yourself the space and time to do your job well.
I doled out chores and responsibilities.
Extra people in the house means extra work. Luckily, it also means extra people to do the work. That is, if they take it upon themselves to do it. Now, my daughter is a good parent. She just has different standards of clean than I do. That’s natural. It’s been a long time since I had small kids in the house. Of course my standards are different than hers. To increase my good writing karma, I make sure everyone has a job to do, so I don’t encounter a big ugly mess every time I get up for a glass of water.
You can do it too.
When you work at home, it’s important that other people help out. It’s distracting to know the dishes are waiting and there’s a load of laundry waiting to be folded. If everyone chips in, that’s one less distraction in your writing day.
I made time for individual attention.
If there’s one thing kids, adult family members and friends have in common, it’s a need for attention. When any of those people don’t get the attention they need, you’ll know it. How? Well, they’ll interrupt your work to demand it, just like they did mine. I quickly figured out that if I gave my loved ones adequate attention during my time off, they were less likely to bother me when I was working. I also put my own pets’ needs on a schedule so they weren’t deprived and begging for attention.
You can do it too
Touch base with all the people in your house daily. Take an interest in what they’re doing. Go for walks together. If you can afford it, go to the movies once a week as a family or engage in some other activity. Get your head out of the computer and get a life. A happy family adds to your writing karma, rather than taking away from it. Remember, you get out of karma only what you put into it.
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