47°F at winter solstice last night in Iowa. That’s very warm for the beginning of winter. Rain is forecast most of today so I began indoors exercises to compensate for not getting out on the trail: dumbbells, walking in place, calisthenics. Today, I need to revise the daily outline that drives my morning.
By daily outline I mean the 8-1/2 x 11 inch piece of paper on a clipboard next to my writing table. It contains the sequence of events for most days. It occurred to me, after reading how other writers work, that I should clear clutter from early morning activities and write while still rested. Revision of the outline was needed and straight forward.
There is getting up, which includes taking blood pressure, stepping on a scale, dressing, making coffee and taking my morning vitamins. Checking my mobile device is in there, yet I want to delay that until after a couple of things.
First is reading 25 pages or more each day. I take my coffee to the living room, grab a blanket from the rocking chair, and settle down with coffee to read. I am a slow reader, yet I want to get this done before the day gets away from me. Sometimes, if I can’t sleep, I’ll read in bed although that is never the plan. Depending on my level of interest in the current book, this takes about an hour.
Second, the big change is to record progress in Goodreads, refill my coffee, and walk immediately downstairs for a writing session. How long that will last depends on the day and what inspiration might be present.
The change is also delaying time with my social media, reading the newspaper, reviewing banking, paying bills, eating breakfast, exercise, and other daily chores until reading and writing are finished. I’m hoping this will provide a clearer mind and better focus on writing. Also, I hope to get more writing done.
I printed the new form. The new daily outline begins tomorrow.
Our holiday season begins Dec. 18 with our wedding anniversary and continues until January. I hope to plan a lot during this time. The daily outline, one more small thing, is done.
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