Maybe you could use it as a “reward” to yourself for doing your work first?

Social media has taken over as the greater time suck for me. And yes, I should save it for later in the day!

Thanks for the terrific Annie Dillard quote, Per. I have exactly two houseplants and they are both on my desk. I water them each morning before I start my work so they haven’t died yet!!

“I don’t do housework. Life is too short and I’m too
much of a Puritan. If you want to take a year off to write a
book, you have to take that year, or the year will take you by the hair and pull you toward the grave. … I let almost all of my indoor plants die from neglect while I was writing the book. There are all kinds of ways to live. You can take your choice. You can keep a tidy house, and when St. Peter asks you what you did with your life, you can say, I kept a tidy house, I made my own cheese balls.” (From Shoptalk: Learning to Write With Writers by Donald Murray)

Quite a lot of great writers were great writers, but
neither great nor nice persons: Hemingway, Sandemose, H.C.Andersen, continue the list yourself. I suppose that’s the way it is. (Wow, by re-reading this – it sounds really rude, doesn’t it? Sometimes I’m surprised by myself …) But actually, there are libraries filled to the brim with lamentations written by great artist’s children, and the children are forgotten and the artists are forgotten as persons too, but the pieces of art are still there and that’s the way it is. Sometimes life really sucks, e.g. when you realize that you can’t eat the cake and still have it. Which responsibility is to be prioritized: The responsibility for the children so unlucky to have chosen you as their mother, or the responsibility for the thoughts in your head, living
only there and dying with you if you don’t put them on the paper?

Thank you for another thoughtful letter!

Yeah, it’s probably a good idea to avoid Teflon pans. (I believe, at high heat, they release carcinogens). I actually use cast iron, myself. Anyway, I love your extension of the metaphor by talking about “sticky plans.” Great idea!

The thing about time being available in smaller & smaller increments is exactly why I suggest writing first thing in the morning (or, if you can’t manage that, just before going to bed.) Also, make it a HABIT. Something you do every day, without negotiation. Like brushing your teeth.

I think some people might take you seriously, John, so just let me say that I strongly believe guilt is never a worthwhile motivator. And, in fact, the sooner we can dispense with guilt, the more accomplished we will be….

Yes! Early morning writing is the way to go when you have young children at home. People often think that 10 minutes isn’t enough but it often is. And it’s certainly better than 0 minutes, right?

It’s very easy to feel beholden to others (even if they’re not children!) Writing is a little bit selfish but then, we all need to do a few selfish things to accomplish what we want and need to achieve.

Checking email is a real time suck. Save it for later in the day when you’re already tired. (Thanks for the note about the Estonian triplets. I wasn’t aware of that. Interesting!)