I must apologize. I scheduled this post from Vicki Lucas, and then promptly forgot that it was today! (Kind of reminds me of the post below!)
So today you are getting two posts. The first about how much I need aspiring authors, and this one here entitled:
Rock and Roll: Putting Your Writing Priorities in
Order
by
Vicki V. Lucas
Do
you ever feel like all you’re doing is spinning your wheels in the mud some
days? I often feel like I’m getting nowhere and making a mess. Nothing important
is getting done as the dishes pile up. I’d like to say it’s because I’m busy,
but I know that many times it’s due to my priorities being out of line.
You
want to write a book, but there aren’t enough hours in the day. Maybe you’ve
written the book, but now you don’t have time to market it. You know that every
second marketing takes you away from writing the next book, just as every
second writing takes away from selling the book you have published. How do you
make time for work, writing, family, and other responsibilities?
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| Photo by: sgrace, courtesy of Flickr |
To
answer that question, I want you to picture a jar, some rocks that are about
two inches big, some pebbles, and a lot of sand.
If I
put some of the big rocks in the jar, I can fit about three or four in until
the jar looks full, and I can’t put any more rocks in without breaking the jar.
Although no more rocks fit, I can still pour pebbles into the glass. When I
shake it, the pebbles will slip between the bigger rocks and fill in the
smaller spaces. Although the glass is starting to look very full, it’s not. The
sand goes in next. It fills up all the empty areas. Now the jar is full.
What’s
the point?
The jar
is your life. The rocks, pebbles, and sand we put in signify what we do in our
day. In other words:
·
The rocks are the big important things. Perhaps
that’s completing a project at work, spending time with your family, or doing
your laundry. Whatever it is, your life is going to be bad if you don’t get it
done today.
·
The pebbles are of lesser concern. For me today,
it’s doing the dishes. I want to get them done, but if I don’t, I have clean
plates in the cupboard. Maybe you have an assignment due at the end of the
week. If you finished it today, that would be great, but you won’t have
problems if it doesn’t get done. It’s important but not as urgent.
·
Finally, the sand represents the smaller
priorities. These are the things that you would like to do someday. This is the
closet that needs sorting, the photos that need labeling.
What
you need to remember is that if you put the sand in the glass first, all the
rocks and pebbles won’t fit. Your time and energy will be wasted. You will
never get to the truly important things. To make everything fit, you must
figure out what your big rocks are, do them first, and then there is room for everything
else.
What
are your big rocks today?
***
Contact Vicki!
Amazon Author Page - http://www.amazon.com/Vicki-V.-Lucas/e/B006X7117U/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Books –
