Time management and balance–hacks.
Uh.
Well, I have terrible relationship with the first, and I’m not sure I know anything about the second.
So, yeah, this will be a good post.
Let’s see. Time management.
As I said, I’m not good at it, and I’m not even into social media. But I do love my blog, and I know I spend too much time stressing over the details of a post because I want it to be perfect, and showcase the book it the best possible way. If I had a bookstore, I’d be a total workaholic. Oh, wait. I am a workaholic.
Because I know my Achille’s heel (the blog), I set a rule: I’ll write posts, or do something blog related, only in the mornings. Afternoons are for writing (or studying the craft).
Dividing the day into macro-zones (writing/studying, blogging, and the little social media I do) helps me stay in track without being stifled.
This balance will come to an end this August, when my boy will start kindergarten and I’ll have to manage the day in a different way. Maybe we could both sit in the studio and do homework (him), and posts (me). But I don’t know for sure right now.
As for balance, what I understood in my almost thirty-nine years is that balance is simply a stylish word for good juggling.
It’s not a “nirvana” state, where you are a peace. No, no. It’s that moment when you toss in the air ten things at the same time and catch them, and none hits you in the head on its way down.
It requires training, commitment, endurance, and a whole lot of band aids for the times when something slips and does hit you on the head. But with time and dedication, you’ll get into the grove and will be comfortable.
My hack for it? Common sense and prioritization. All the things you keep in the air as you juggle have a different weight and require a different effort to get them going and keep them that way. My son + husband (they can’t be divided) is the heaviest, so I make sure I put more effort into making sure they fly. My books. My home. My spare time. My health. It all goes in and off I go, juggling them into becoming my life.
And we have an excerpt from Guns for Angels...
Ann
My sister was all the family I had. She was taken from me and now, someone wants me dead, too. Not sure why.
I’m sure I’m not going to give my life up, though. I’m not going to let them get away with my sister’s murder.
The new me will try, anyway.
You see, when she was alive I could live in brightness and peace. Now I have to accept the darkness within me. After all, isn’t life about balance? Ironically, the man who can teach me how to embrace the shadows is broken, hopeless, and angry. Mark is also the only one I trust to lead me through my heart’s night, and back into the light.
The one I trust to keep us alive.
Mark
A favor to a teammate: pick up two girls in trouble, take them to the Team’s safehouse. Should have been easy. It was not.
Then someone killed one of my team, one of my brothers. Now it’s personal.
They want me, too.
Even worst, they want Ann. The only person who cut through me, who woke me, who grabbed my hand and guided me back into life one smile at the time.
I’ll be damned if I let them have anything.
Not. One. Damned. Thing.
From NY to sunny Miami, Ann and Mark run into a maze of lie, betrayal, and death, where love is the only, terrifying certainty. And when truth unravels, they will have to risk all to survive.
Only 99 cents until release day
THE AUTHOR
Beach bum and country music addicted, Viviana lives in a small Floridian town with her husband and her son, her die-hard fans and personal cheer squad. She spends her days between typing on her beloved keyboard, playing in the pool with her boy, and eating whatever her husband puts on her plate (the guy is that good, and she really loves eating). Besides beaching, she enjoys long walks, horse-riding, hiking, and pretty much whatever she can do outside with her family.
Find me:
The best way to know me is through my website (and the books I host): http://www.viviana-mackade.blog/
The best way to see what I’m up to is through my Instagramaccount.
Amazon Author page is another good place to keep up with me.
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