Ok, maybe I'm not that bad with the procrastinating.
But I tell you what, my warm-up to writing or editing will put a national league pitcher's pre-pitch ritual to shame.
#1) Get in comfy clothes. Sorry, but business clothes are for the office, comfy clothes are for writing romance. It doesn't make the work produced less legit, just much more comfortable.
#2) Check Twitter, my latest obsession.
#3) If on my day off during the week, the next step is to log onto the medical record software and clear out any urgent patient messages or prescriptions, or put out fires or help get folks the care they need that cannot wait until tomorrow.
#4) If on a weekend day, calculate how long someone will go from 2-3 centimeters to ready to push. That's how long I have to write, barring unforeseen intra-partum emergencies.
#5) Check email.
#6) Just realized bladder is 1/10th full, should go empty it.
#7) Repeat steps 2-6 at least twice.
#8) Hubby is either home or comes home. Conversation ensues, normally about sports.
#9) Think about writing goal for the day.
#10) Respond to texts from office staff regarding a patient with (insert urgent problem here). Reply or call as indicated. Or respond to phone calls from hospital, same concept.
#11) Go back to thinking about the goal for the day.
#12) Repeat steps 2-6 again. Look at watch to calculate how much time is left in the day. Should I get on the treadmill now or later? When to eat? What about that patient in labor, when do I need to go check on her? These are big decisions.
#13) Oooh, shiny object! Twitter blinked with a new tweet, must see.
#14) Begin writing until hospital calls, patient is either ready to push or will be pregnant until the end of time. Not a lot of middle ground.
#15) Go back to writing, if possible. Ignore kitties stalking me and begging for food.
#16) Feed kitties.
#17) Steps 2-6 AGAIN.
#18) By the end of the day, from 8pm until 11pm, I am finally going full blast, cranking out all sorts of excellent text.
And now it's way past my bedtime for the 5:45 am alarm. Ugh.
Repeat on next day off.
But I tell you what, my warm-up to writing or editing will put a national league pitcher's pre-pitch ritual to shame.
#1) Get in comfy clothes. Sorry, but business clothes are for the office, comfy clothes are for writing romance. It doesn't make the work produced less legit, just much more comfortable.
#2) Check Twitter, my latest obsession.
#3) If on my day off during the week, the next step is to log onto the medical record software and clear out any urgent patient messages or prescriptions, or put out fires or help get folks the care they need that cannot wait until tomorrow.
#4) If on a weekend day, calculate how long someone will go from 2-3 centimeters to ready to push. That's how long I have to write, barring unforeseen intra-partum emergencies.
#5) Check email.
#6) Just realized bladder is 1/10th full, should go empty it.
#7) Repeat steps 2-6 at least twice.
#8) Hubby is either home or comes home. Conversation ensues, normally about sports.
#9) Think about writing goal for the day.
#10) Respond to texts from office staff regarding a patient with (insert urgent problem here). Reply or call as indicated. Or respond to phone calls from hospital, same concept.
#11) Go back to thinking about the goal for the day.
#12) Repeat steps 2-6 again. Look at watch to calculate how much time is left in the day. Should I get on the treadmill now or later? When to eat? What about that patient in labor, when do I need to go check on her? These are big decisions.
#13) Oooh, shiny object! Twitter blinked with a new tweet, must see.
#14) Begin writing until hospital calls, patient is either ready to push or will be pregnant until the end of time. Not a lot of middle ground.
#15) Go back to writing, if possible. Ignore kitties stalking me and begging for food.
#16) Feed kitties.
#17) Steps 2-6 AGAIN.
#18) By the end of the day, from 8pm until 11pm, I am finally going full blast, cranking out all sorts of excellent text.
And now it's way past my bedtime for the 5:45 am alarm. Ugh.
Repeat on next day off.
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