50 days of Pen on Fire

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While editing and revising my young adult novel, I am challenging myself to not become stale in writing fresh words as well. So, I endeavor to tackle 50 days of Pen on Fire, inspired by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett's book Pen on Fire, a busy woman's guide to igniting the writer within.

Beginning with the "Getting Started" section I will use a chapter a day (Monday through Friday, though since I'm starting mid-week the first few chapters will be posted same day to catch up) and I will wrap-up with the "Overcoming the Obstacles" section. Finally there are four chapters at the end which will put me past the nice round 50 days, but I will most likely complete those as well.

The goal: each day I will include a snippet of my 15 minutes of free-writing, and my take-away from the chapter. I may give a "try your hand" challenge for my readers, or ask for additional input.
So there you have it-- the first installment, inspired by the chapter "stolen moments", follows...

Chapter Take-Away: Notwithstanding the LORD's ability to make the sun stand still in the middle of the sky (Joshua 10:13), I need to diligently redeem the time that I have been given to accomplish the roles set before me: wife, writer, secretary, Sunday school teacher, etc. Since I cannot increase the number of hours in a day, I have to take time from somewhere else, the most obvious being sleep-- Oh, how I love my 8 hours of sleep-- but also to narrow the time it takes for my various other responsibilities throughout the week, so I don't have to be crippled by the fear of neglecting my roles.

1. First things first-- The Lord shall receive the firstfruits of my day. I commit to God my first waking hours, to prayer, and the renewing of my mind by reading and submissive contemplation of His word.
2. Next, morning chores.
3. Followed by office hours at the shop.
4. Blocking out two hours of writing time upon returning home.
5. Dinner prep.
6. Husband time.

All the while, stealing moments for writing amidst the day's duties. Setting a timer, and not stepping away until those fifteen minutes are fulfilled.

READER INPUT?: the timer method works wonders for me in my chores and in my writing? What do you do in order to diligently and effectively take on a challenge?