Keeping Busy Does What Exactly?

I've been sitting here for maybe the past hour or so looking at this screen, with the title you see above, wondering just what I am thinking about this. In the process of looking at the title, I have taken time to check mail about 17 times, (nothing there), posted a few Twitter comments, updated the MySpace page to take out what was no longer correct, looked out the window about 14 times wondering when my shoulder will be well enough for me to get back out there and rake the leaves away, and have come back to this blog entry wondering still what it is I am meaning by the title.

I've been busy.

As I can read into what I just typed, I really have been busy doing stuff. Strange thing is it doesn't really look as if I got anything done on what I had set out to do. (The goal was to have this post written, and yet it sits here, staring back at me, with all it's empty spaces mocking me.

Life and its busyness - a writer's view.

As a writer, I have heard way too often of the "necessary" distractions which can keep us from actually getting our writing done. And, um, yes. I have fallen prey to many of those. But that is a story worthy of it's own posting later on.

Writers have this thing, mainly because writing is such a solitary activity which is often done at home, of having many more distractions right in front of us because they are ours.

Necessary Distractions?

Things like needing to take the trash out, water the plants, wash the car, cut the grass, rake the leaves, paint the garage, wash the dishes, make lunch, trim the bushes, repair the bathroom doorknob, (don't ask), wash the windows, take out the plastic soda bottles from the office and make the bed, (which no, I don't totally understand why this is so necessary, most of the time).

Yes, pretty much anyone "lucky enough" to work from home has these distractions right in front of them on a daily basis. Ooops, hang on. I really need to dust this monitor and desk, it will only take me a minute.

(15 minutes later)

Ok, I'm back. You know how it is, one thing leads to another. After dusting the desk, I noticed just how dusty the shelves in here are along with the window ledge. And of course, the trash wasn't taken out last night, so I had to do that, along with raking the leaves from the driveway since I was out there. But I am back now. Really. Back to whatever I was writing about.

See how easily one can become distracted? Yes, things needed to be done. But did they need to be done in such an un-timely fashion?

I'll leave it to you to decide on your own about what is necessary to do versus what is just an untimely distraction, when it comes to doing what you are doing.

Larry's up next to give you tips, tricks and treats of keeping distractions to a minimum.

Larry has been able to fight these urges, to do something else, for a lot longer than I have. He has managed to create creative copy for clients, write witty words with wonder, and type tons of terrific tomes of tunage, while not allowing the personal world of what would be wild to work on without winding up with nothing done.

So stay tuned for his posting in the near future. Once it's written, we'll link to it from here as well.

Your turn.

But for now, what is it that is getting in your way? Yes, it may need to be done, but does it need to be worked on while you are busy doing your work? If you were working away from home on the job, where you wouldn't be able to wash your car, (necessarily), what would you be working on?