Ideas, Plans & Projects

I am the ultimate slacker. Or at least, I think that I am. I've had so many plans and goals and ideas and projects... and haven't made a move on any of them. My excuse is that after running after a bunch of kids for four hours each day, I'm beyond exhausted to begin evening thinking about anything besides taking a nap and vegging out in front of the TV. Today, for instance, I came home, watched the end of The Rookie, ate some left over pizza, finished reading "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" (first time, and a very good read!), and then proceeded to take five or six hour nap.

Tomorrow was supposed to be my day off, and I envisioned I'd begin on something useful. But then I noticed missed calls on my phone, which turned out to be a co-worker wanting me to work for her tomorrow. So now I'm working form 1-5pm. And since I most likely won't even get out of bed before 9am... my day is shot. (Not really, but if I follow my current trend, nothing useful will happen.)

Why am I sabotaging my own success? For anything great to even begin happening in my life, I can't just sit around and wait for it. I actually have to do something!

Here are some things on my "do something" list. Maybe if I put them out there, someone will try and hold me accountable? (Or I'll feel guilty and begin to hold myself accountable.)

• Take a picture a day: I recently got an SLR camera, and have been interested in photography for a long time. In order to improve, I have to practice. So it's been in my plan to go out and just take some shots each day--even if it only turns out to be one. I do take pictures, but so far it's been just to take pictures versus practicing photography. 

• Research MFA programs: I have a list of the Top 50, and it's been my plan to go through all 50 and single out 10 or so that I might want to apply to. I've looked at the list randomly a few time (once to see if there were any in Texas [UT] and another time to see if UVA was on the list [it is]), but no research has commenced. 

• Write a page a day: I have been lamenting about how I feel I've lost my "creative edge" and all my writing has been solely work-related and practical and journalistic. And I miss just creating and imagining things. So, I had planned to use all the writing books I bought over the years to actually write. Even if it was just a page a day. Pick an exercise/prompt and just run with with it. That decision was made in mid-August, and I've officially written two vignettes and nothing longer. 

• Submit my Rainbow Town Story for publication: I wrote a story about The Shine Foundation and Rainbow Town while I was working for The Norman Transcript some years ago. This family has fascinated me, and the story they are so dedicated to tell has fascinated me even more. So... I wrote a piece on them for my Magazine Writing class in graduate school. I've been planning to get it published (although a lot of re-writing is in order, I'm sure) and have been planning to submit query letters to places. I haven't even begun a draft of my query letter. 

• Look for freelancing opportunities: This doesn't need any explaining or details. I only have a part-time job, have the time to freelance, and need the money in order to survive. You'd think I'd be extremely serious about this one seeing as my rent is due in about two weeks (or really, one week) and I'm not entirely sure how I'm paying for it! 

I think those are the big ones. That are job/career related anyway. I do have personal goals I've been slacking on too. But I'll save those for another blog.