Like most mothers, my whole house is a distraction. There is 6 of us who live together in South Philly. My husband who is a Philly police officer, was in a car accident on duty 3 years ago that shattered his right knee in 9 pieces so he is limited in how much he can do around the house and at work. I have 4 boys ranging from 6-18 who each have their own personalities. They are cyber schooled from 8-3pm each day with their own teachers, computers, books, etc. My morning is waking them up, setting up their area and stuff for school so they're ready for class, getting breakfast ready, and keeping them separated so they aren't distracted from what they are supposed to do. The dishes pile up throughout the day as you may guess and no there is no dishwasher, (that's me unless I bribe the boys to do it). The daily cleaning is another time hog, as well as organizing. Making sure that everyone does their chores and homework is always fun. Clutter is a big pet peeve so I'm constantly cleaning, reorganizing and moving stuff around. I'm addicted to my DVR and watching the hundred shows that are on there. Candy Crush on my phone and Facebook also beckons me throughout the day to complete another level, then another, and another. On days I have school, I'm exhausted because it is a 45 minute drive back and forth and my afternoon is out of the house and nothing gets done. It seems to be a party when I'm gone. My downtime is the long drive to be by myself, listen to Lorde, and relax.
To limit the distractions so I can write and study I'm trying a few different approaches. When the kids are occupied doing something that doesn't involve me, I will find a room with a door and lose myself there. I will take advantage of their early bedtime and take the time to work on ideas for writing. It also helps during the day to have a notepad and pen close by so if I get a thought about something to write about I can jot it down and it's there when I get time to work instead of wasting time sitting there trying to remember.
To limit the distractions so I can write and study I'm trying a few different approaches. When the kids are occupied doing something that doesn't involve me, I will find a room with a door and lose myself there. I will take advantage of their early bedtime and take the time to work on ideas for writing. It also helps during the day to have a notepad and pen close by so if I get a thought about something to write about I can jot it down and it's there when I get time to work instead of wasting time sitting there trying to remember.