Although we’re still struggling to cope with Coronavirus, lockdown and home schooling as we go into 2021, now that vaccines are being rolled out, the second half of the new year will hopefully be much more relaxed and enjoyable. There are other big changes coming this year, too, with the UK officially leaving the EU and having to get used to a new trade deal, and a new US president about to be sworn in – lots of big changes for everyone, which some people will like – and some people won’t – depending on their political viewpoint.
On a personal level there are changes afoot too, as I’m about to go back into paid employment for the first time since taking a career break in 2015. I’m really looking forward to working as part of a team and advising people with dementia and their carers, although I do feel some anxiety about the potential impact on my writing motivation. Will I be able to keep focused on writing on my non-working days, once other interests are also claiming my attention?
I really hope so, and I think the key to keeping on writing will be organisation and focus.
I’m planning to go through my diary before I start my new job and have a look at all the mundane, domestic, tasks that need doing on a weekly basis – some of them I’ll make time for at the weekends, and some I’ll ask other people to take over, so that I can keep at least some time on my non-working days available for writing.
I’m also hoping that, with less time to play with, I’ll become disciplined enough to put the laptop on first thing in the morning on writing days, and get a full day’s writing done – rather than procrastinate for much of the morning, as I often do now. Or that’s my plan. Fingers crossed, it will work!
I’m planning to also reduce the frequency of my blog posts, and write a post once a month rather than every two weeks as I do now, which will give me more time to focus on my ‘work-in-progress’ – whatever that happens to be at the time.
The dog doesn’t seem too worried about my return to work, and I suspect that as (at least initially) I’ll be working from home, he probably won’t even notice. He’ll just have to get used to having his walk a bit later in the day – although with the chilly weather outside, his nice, cosy chair tucked up against the radiator in the kitchen, and the soft toy that he got for Christmas waiting for him to play with it, I somehow don’t think that he’ll have too much of a problem with spending more time indoors…
Catherine Rosevear 