The little one is napping, so here I am. One of the most humbling things about motherhood (and there are lots of humbling things) is admitting that I have so much less control over my schedule. I used to pride myself on my productivity. I would wake up with a specific to-do list and if I did not accomplish everything on that list, I was agitated. I still make a list (weekly, not daily), but my expectations for crossing things off of it have changed dramatically. I am fine with the same list rolling from one week to the next. If I’m honest, sometimes I put things on the list that are super easy to get done so I can cross them off and feel accomplished. I’ve changed, but yet I haven’t.
Right before the holidays, I got my first round of edits for Cherry Blossoms. The old me would have tackled the edits in one day. New me, the me with a baby, tackled the edits over several days–a half hour here, a half hour there, while the baby slept. I met my deadline. It’s fine. It’s just an adjustment in mindset. I’ve had to learn to be patient. There are benefits to patience. When things take longer, my subconscious mind gets more of a chance to weigh in and sometimes it has some cool things to contribute.
With the edits done, I went back to work on another novel I’ve had waiting in the wings for a couple years. The draft was mostly complete, so it’s been the perfect project to chip away at during nap times. I’m not sure my brain is ready to take on a brand new novel right now. I’m happy to finesse and edit novels I had in drawers (well, digital drawers… I don’t print anything these days). I’m also thinking of wrangling some short stories I’ve written into a collection. I’d like to have a draft done before my maternity leave ends (I go back to work at the beginning of March).
That’s all for now. Hope your 2018 is starting off well!
You’ve been just as productive, if not more (!!), as a new mom.
What do you do in your third job?
I am a copywriter at an ad agency 🙂