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The Game On Chronicles: Distractions

I'm usually pretty good at time management. When I have a lot on my plate, I have to buckle down and stay focused, which I can do. If the pressure's on, that helps me stay motivated.

But sometimes, no matter what I seem to want to do, I keep getting pulled away from the task at hand.

My social schedule varies a lot. Sometimes, it feels like I have all the time in the world; yet other times, I'm so busy I'm lucky to get a decent night's sleep.

I'm pretty busy right now. Work is pretty crazy, and I'm stage managing for the local theatre, which takes up 2-3 nights during the week. I captain a trivia team, which is how I spend my Tuesday nights. On top of that, I have Christmas projects to work on, and I'm trying to make new curtains to help block the cold from coming in as winter descends on Pittsburgh. And my apartment desperately needs to be cleaned. Oh, and I can't forget that my typically antisocial cats, for some reason, are following me around like little ducklings and crying for attention.

So when I have time away from all those responsibilities, that's when I sit down in front of my laptop and work on the story I have in my head. Currently, I'm on chapter 16, and I'm 43,000+ words for Game On. Things, for the moment, are going swimmingly.

The problem is all the distractions! Between all the stresses and obligations, it's nice to relax for a few moments. Those few moments then turn into hours. So, what's holding my attention away from my writing?

1.) Dexter
So I'm way behind the times. I finally started to watch the show Dexter, starting from the beginning. I've seen bits and pieces here and there, and of course I know the premise. But I never really sat down and watched it. Stupid Netflix. I just finished season two, and I'm dying to see what's next. Why can't I just divide my attention between the two and write while I watch? Well, I don't have Netflix streaming on my TV and only on my laptop, which prevents me from using Word to type. Damn.

2.) Sporcle
Have you ever heard of Sporcle? My God, it's one of the best sites I've ever come across. You can play all kinds of games for free. You name it, there's a quiz for it. My current favorite is the 1-100 clickable mines. Seems simple enough, but you only have four minutes! My best time is 3:20, although I'm obviously trying to break that. Phew.

3.) Knitting
Okay, so I'm an old lady. But I love to knit, and I just found this pattern for a slouchy hat. I have a scarf that I never finished too, so I seem to be taking turns between the two projects.

4.) Nothing
Good, old-fashioned nothing. Just lying on the couch, listening to the rain, trying to convince myself not to go and grab another piece of leftover Halloween candy. Telling myself that I have so many things to do, but enjoying just being lazy for a little while before Monday rolls around and I have to start another workweek.

5.) Blogging?
Okay, so maybe this isn't a major distraction, but I'm typing here rather than in Word, where it matters. I'd like to promise you that I'll close out of Blogger and get back to work, but I can't guarantee it.

Those mines aren't going to click themselves.

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