This week I'm dog sitting. I'm looking after my daughter's dog for a week.
She's a sweet little thing and is only small. She's a cross between a mini fox terrier and a Chihuahua (I had to Google how to spell that).
So tiny yet such a distraction.
Even now as I try to write this, she is sitting at my feet whining then barking to draw my attention to the ball she's placed next to my foot and is waiting for me to throw it for her. So I find myself intermittently throwing the ball while I try to write.
I soon realised earlier today that it is almost impossible for me to write while she is distracting me in this way (or any other way).
At first I thought I'd give up and not write at all. But I have a lot to do with a new book coming out soon and a new website that I'm working on as well, so in my inimitable wisdom, I decided to do things that don't actually require too much writing, like working on my new website layout and writing up a list of tasks that I need to complete.
This sort of work takes more thinking and planning and I can sit on the floor while I do it so that I can throw the ball at the same time. Also, doing this sort of work is easier than writing because throwing the ball destroys my writing 'flow.' I need to keep 100% focused to write, which usually isn't difficult, but with the ball-obsessed-dog distraction, it's almost impossible to stay focused.
This is what happens when life gets in the way of writing. Which happens more often than I like.
But instead of complaining and wasting time, I just shift to working on something that doesn't need 100% focus.
And I always stop at least once every hour to go into the garden and throw the ball for 10 minutes without being distracted by my work. Because even small, ball-obsessed dogs need my full attention now and again.
And at the end of the day, there is always time for a walk too.
But in the meantime, I don't let anything stop me from working. I just change what I'm working on to suit my environment.
You can see for yourself just how ball-obsessed this little dog is by clicking the link below.
It's only a few seconds of video and it shows two dogs (one large, one small) playing, while our little dog is ignoring them because her attention is only on the two balls out of her reach. And she's doing the best she can to get them.
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