Summer vacation is just around the corner and while I’m looking forward to slower mornings and less structure, there’s a part of me that is starting to panic. With year round schooling we have had several mini breaks throughout the year so it shouldn’t be a big deal, right? Well, no – but it is anyway.
Summer break is longer and for some reason there are higher expectations to fill it with a variety of fun and educational activities. All of those activities take planning and guidance and endless driving around the city.
It’s not that I mind, I like the activities as much as my kids, and sometimes more. What’s making me sweat is that unless I make a conscious daily effort, the chances of me making some real progress on my book during summer break, are slim.
I don’t like extra effort when I can avoid it. It’s a personality flaw that one day I’ll get under control. I always look for the easiest way to get from start to finish. If the laundry needs folding, I’ll often wait until the kids are at school so I can listen to my favorite podcasts undisturbed while I work. I could just as easily do it while they are scrambling around me, but why?
It’s the same with writing, although the need for focus is greater, where I wait until the kids are at school and the youngest is sleeping before I even bother to start. If it weren’t for my deadlines I would do the same for blogging. I write this as my middle child is arguing with me about the fact that she has to get dressed before she can go outside. Distracting? Heck yeah. I might be strange and a bit lazy but I do have standards.
All this means is that it’s time to do some serious plotting and planning on the best and hopefully most economical way for everyone, myself included, to have a phenomenal summer.
Jodi L. Milner, Author 