The greatest obstacle for a writer is life.
This was one of my writing professors told me before I graduated.
What he meant was that life's priorities would get in the way of writing. The solution I discovered was easy enough: finish those priorities to leave a clear head free to writing whatever came to mind.
And in college there wasn't much priorities. Finish homework for every other course that wasn't a writing one. Have a clean bed and side of the dorm. Make sure to find someone to eat with and get to the dining halls before closing. Easy enough.
After five years out of college those priorities have grown to the point where I can't keep track.
Get up early enough to make and have breakfast. Make the bed. Go to work. Try not to spend money other than lunch. Go home with enough time to cook dinner before husband gets home. Watch an hour of Netflix together. Wash dishes to use the next day. Make lunch for work. Go to bed.
And then there are other tasks that should get done at some point. Pay bills and rent. Swiffer the floors. Do laundry. Fold and put away laundry. Clean the bathroom. Vacuum. Take out the garbage. Declutter the entire apartment.
My solution of finishing everything else before writing is impossible at this point because none of these tasks are completely done. You always have to think about doing them again in a couple of days. By the time I am able to finish cooking dinner, I just want to veg on the couch and sleep.
And if I can never finish what needs to be done in "life" then how can I write.
Instead of creating the goal of completing everything that needs to be done, you have to look at it as juggling.
And I've never been a good juggler.
However this blog means the ball that says "Write" is at least up in the air.
