Can you believe it's already August? Almost time to head back to school (which I'm both dreading and excited about at the same time. Probably much like my students!). And, of course, there are the school supplies.
What is it about school supplies? Even when I wasn't teaching, in the years between college and going back to college to get my teaching degree (I know. Even now my mother rolls her eyes, an "I told you so" that I should have double-majored in Communications and Education. *sigh*), I loved heading into the store and stocking up on notebooks, pens, markers, anything that caught my fancy.
Back-To-School time is a chance to start over, with a clean plate. Didn't do so well last year? Well, you have the chance to fill those notebooks up with everything you need to know so you'll do better this year. Never had what you needed? Huh, look at this fancy-dancy organizer that will hold notes for all your subjects, a place for handouts and your writing utensils.
I take it as an opportunity to reorganize myself. Not everything, of course. But something important. This year, I'm bound and determined to carve out a specific writing time. (Also on the to-do list is to schedule a specific exercise time, too, but then that's always on my list) Now, this isn't going to always work because there are meetings and open houses and stuff like that but, if I can set a schedule for myself, I think I can be a lot more productive than I have been in the past. Plopping down with my laptop in front of the TV is all well and good but I'm not "reaching my potential". (Uhg, I do hate that expression, though I tend to use it a lot in parent conferences. Like, your child is not reaching his/her potential. Read: your kid is failing because he/she is more interested in texting and gossiping than doing his/her work.) I want to do more.
So, what about you--are you a specific writing time/goal/word count kind of person or do you write when the mood strikes?
I adore school supplies too - and I have that same feeling about the end of summer and the start of the school year :)
ReplyDeleteLike you, I'm so buy, I tend to just do what I can when I can. I usually write after 9 when everyone's winding down for the day and watching tv :)
I just started back on a writing goal again - I did so well with it last year but didn't keep it up. Now I'm determined to stay on track :)
ReplyDeleteI love shopping for school and office supplies - I can wander the local office supply store for hours, and I usually leave with my wallet a lot lighter. :)
If I don't set myself a schedule I'm less likely to get any writing, researching, outlining, etc. done, so it really helps me. However, I don't set specific word count goals or anything. That's too orderly for my comfort. A little mess makes me happy. :)
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