I’ve been thinking a lot about work uniforms. Well, the whole process of getting ready for work.
For minimum wage Crappy Night Job, I get up 2 hours before I have to go to work, have a bath, have breakfast, and travel the 30-minute commute. On writing days, I flap around, don’t really start, and don’t get much done.
Getting ready and travelling to work helps set my mind up for what’s to come, but I don’t do that for my writing. I know some writers go to the Library or a coffee shop to write; the change of setting and routine helps them get in a mindset to produce words. I’m sure that it’s not a one size fits all kind of problem, but I want to try it and see if it helps me be more productive.
Today I bought a new shirt, nothing fancy, a short-sleeve button-up shirt that is now my “work uniform” for writing. From now on, before I write, I will go through my typical work prep sequence, getting into my uniform and getting my but in the chair.
I’ve made a ‘roster’ for my week along with the new shirt. After allocating the hours I’m at Crappy Night Job, and getting ready and commuting to Crappy Night Job, I also put down time for sleep, bath, eating, cooking, shopping, etc. Once that was done, I started to fill in hours for various writing jobs I wanted to get done weekly.
I can already say that the plan I wrote up is too rigid and has too much in it. There is very little free time, so it won’t be able to absorb when things run over or if something non-standard comes up. Still, this roster is meant to be a target, not the finished product. I will reassess where I’m spending time periodically to try and find a balance between what I would like to do and what I can do.
Worst comes to worst; I have a new shirt.