If you’ve been reading along with the previous installments of the challenge, you’ll know that the first two days were tough.
But I was sure that once I got into the swing of things, I’d start having fun.
As you’ll see in a minute, I was absolutely, utterly, wrong.
4:50am – I’m up! I’m… early? This is great! I’ll finally be able to get started on time.
4:51 – I mean I could watch one YouTube video…
5:30 – Why do I do this to myself?
5:33 – Well, I’m awake and ready to work now. I think I’ll work on that story of the young girl who can talk to plants and the adopted parents who are trying to protect her.
5:58 – Only 568 words? Come on.
6:23 – 775? I’m starting to think this wasn’t a good choice for today’s challenge.
6:48 – 1277! Finally getting somewhere!
7:01 – I’m running out of time, and am unsure if I’m using the term ‘ombudsman’ correctly…
7:03 – I’m on a roll… 1731 words… so close!
7:16 – Did I go over? I did! Time to get ready.
8:30 – Out of the house for the day.
3:50 – I made it home in record time to be part of the Dublin Creative Writer’s Collective Live Stream. I just need to take a shower and grab a sandwich before I get online. Let me just start this load of laundry with all of my working-in-the-yard clothes first!
4:15 – Wait, what’s wrong with my computer’s power cord?
4:20 – Why isn’t my audio working?
4:25 – This is just like my last Writer’s Group Zoom Meeting! I thought I got this fixed!
4:40 – At least they’re able to talk with me via chat.
5:10 – This is great! Plus, I got some fantastic advice for breaking up the writer’s block that has infested my first fantasy novel.
5:40 – Done! Now I can get some actual dinner.
6:30 – Wait. Did I do my 30 minutes of physical activity today?
6:31 – No. No I did not.
6:32 – All my working-in-the-yard clothes are in the washer. And while there’s still some sunlight left, the neighbors are letting their unmasked kids run all over their yard.
6:35 – Do I have time to suit up in anti-COVID-19 clothes, work for a half hour, then completely scrub myself down again? Maybe. If I get the clothes in the dryer now. But I know I won’t have the energy to read a book after I’m done.
6:40 – Ugh. On top of everything else, the house is a mess. I’ve been devoting so much time and energy into getting this challenge done that I – WAIT A MINUTE, DOING CHORES IS A PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.
7:00 – This is genius, I’ll get the main rooms clean, and knock out my physical activity for the day. Two birds, one stone baby!
7:30 – Wow. OK. That’s disappointing. I worked like a woman possessed for 30 minutes straight, and all I accomplished was getting the clothes folded and some of the dishes done. Not even all the dishes, some of them. It could be worse, but still…
7:32 – Well, at least I have something to do tomorrow. Plus, I have plenty of time to get tonight’s reading done.
9:55 – …why do I still get disappointed in myself, even when I know what’s coming?
10:00 – OK, it’s Good News, Bad News time. The good news is that reading a book has started becoming part of my wind-down routine. It feels less like I’m forcing myself to do something and more like I’m doing something I like. But the bad news is that I decided to read an extremely dry grammar book when I knew I would already be tired and distracted.
10:01 – I’ve re-read this sentence twice and I still don’t know what’s going on.
10:20 – Stay open eyes. Five more minutes. You got this. Just stay open.
10:25 – DID IT. Finally. Thank goodness. And with tomorrow being the weekend, it’s the end of the…
10:26 – … no, it’s just the end of the week. It’s not the end of the challenge. I still have four more days left.
10:27 – I’M NOT EVEN HALF WAY DONE HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE
