I’ve always worked this way: work on project B for 10 minutes, switch to job 1 and then to job 2 and back to project B; make a call to confirm a name or date and while waiting for the call-back do some more work on job 1.
I was able to do it without getting confused until I reached my 60s. Now I confuse what I’m working on at the moment with what I was working on half an hour ago. But I keep operating in the same way because it’s the only way I know.
When I worked for Ranger Publishing (the Ranger, Weekly Volcano and previously Choices and Tacoma City Paper) I did a lot of non-work-related stuff on the job. My editor never suspected, and it was cool anyway so long as I got my job done on time. (Ron, are you reading this? Now you know.)
I wrote freelance articles for The Olympian and Art Access at my desk at Ranger Publishing. I even wrote an entire novel, Imprudent Zeal, at that desk. I would go out and conduct an interview, cover a sporting event or an awards ceremony or school event at Ft. Lewis, snap a few photos, see an art exhibit in Tacoma, head back to the office, drop the film off at the photo place around the corner, and write my article. I was quick and didn’t make too many mistakes. I always finished my work on time and had time to kill, so I volunteered to help the copy editor.
When I offered to take on other jobs, my editor said he was asking too much of me already, and I didn’t argue with him because I could use that extra time to work on my own stuff.
BTW, the copy editor helped edit that novel, but she didn’t do it at work; she did it at home on her own time.
Now I’m working on a sequel to The Backside of Nowhere and an adaptation for the stage of Reunion at the Wetside, and I keep wanting to call Marcia from the new book Alex, a character in the last book, plus I’m trying to promote the upcoming reading from my screenplay of whichever book it is I did a screenplay of and in between working on those things and websites for customers I’m writing theater and art reviews.
It’s no wonder that when I asked Jennie Jenks to be in the screenplay reading she thought I was talking about another reading from Reunion, which she had already done twice. Did I tell her the wrong title? Probably. I do seem to be making more mistakes these days than I used to, but I have good people around to correct me.
On another subject, tomorrow I will post on this blog my first review by a guest reviewer – Michael Dresdner’s review of “I’m Into Something Good” at Centerstage. On Wednesday I’ll post my review of “Dog Sees God” at South Puget Sound Community College. Thursday comes my review in the Weekly Volcano of the new Native American art exhibit at B2 gallery and Friday in The News Tribune my review of “Fame” at Capital Playhouse.
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