Articles

Getting Things Done

I want to do too many things lately. Besides my normal list of “things to do” (I won’t bore you with the details) I’ve decided to try NaNoWriMo again this year. You don’t know what that is? Well, let me enlighten you - in as many words as possible. NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and it has been held in November since 1999. I discovered it somehow last year. The main idea is to write a novel of 50,000 words between November 1 and November 30. I didn’t make it last year, but I got a good start on a story I had been thinking about for a while. This year I’m giving it another shot - I know I’m crazy. My daughter, Allison, is doing it, too. We have a friendly wager going. Whoever writes more has to buy the other person a candy bar. I think she’ll probably do it. She already has over 5,000 words! I have a little over 3,000 words so far, but it will be quite a bit more after I finish updating The Robyn’s Nest. Yes, I’m going to add my article and update to my novel. I’m sure I can work it into the plot somehow, and things like that are highly encouraged by fellow NaNoWriMo’s. You write like crazy and do whatever you can to just get those 50,000 words down on paper (or into your computer). Maybe I could have my character visit The Robyn’s Nest and read the article and family update aloud to her friend over the phone. Anyway, in my spare moments I’m going to try to write as much as I can without totally neglecting my family. Hey, it’s not too late for you to start! (Unless you’re reading this in December) You can find out more and sign up at

http://www.nanowrimo.org. Keep trying if you can’t get the page to come up...they warned that it’s a little slow at the beginning of the month.

As I think about doing NaNoWriMo I realize that I sometimes have unrealistic expectations about what I can get done - in a day, in a week, in a lifetime. I start out in the morning with big plans of getting school work done with the kids by 11 a.m., cleaning things up around the house for a while, having devotions, reading aloud to Blake and Dylan, having good conversations with my kids, preparing a good supper, ….then suddenly it’s 3:45 and Allison is getting home from school. The rest of us haven't made much of a dent in our school work, the house is a mess, Blake and Dylan are watching cartoons or playing Nintendo, we’ve all been crabby with each other most of the day, and I have no idea what I’m making for supper. Those kinds of days depress me and I find myself wanting to give up.

I won’t give up, though. I’ll keep starting over and keep asking God to help me keep things in perspective and not get discouraged when I fail. I have tons of things I’d like to do before I leave this world, and I have to realize that I may not get all of them done this year! (Hopefully I have quite a few more years left to work on my lengthy “To do” list.)

I must concentrate now on the things God has given me to do that are the most important - things like taking care of my husband and children, loving Him with all my heart, obeying what He tells me to do and letting things go that just aren’t important right now. If I don’t get a whole novel written this November, I won’t get upset. I’ll buy Allison her candy bar and keep doing what I need to be doing: Following Jesus as I’m “getting things done”!

“But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.’

My times are in your hands;….” (Psalm 31:14 - 15a)

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me,

if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me —

the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”

Acts 20:24