Lindsay Lohan, My Dog, and Hoarders are Killing My Book (Or, Why Working from Home Is Basically Crap)

I've had some difficulty writing lately. Or, to be more accurate, I've had some difficulty not doing other things long enough to get my daily word count done. Lately, a typical writing day for me looks something like this:

6 a.m. to 9 p.m.: Wake up kids, make breakfast, get everybody ready for school, get everybody delivered to school, shower, and do the various housework-type tasks that enable me to keep my home relatively hygienic and not resembling something from an episode of Hoarders.

9 a.m.: Prepare my writing area. I arrange things just so, with my cup of coffee, a notebook for whatever blindingly brilliant insights come my way, and a comfortable chair.

9:05 a.m.: Begin to write.

9:07 a.m.: Notice that I have a notification on Facebook. Check it out, to see that it's a meme about Sean Spicer.

9:08 a.m.: Write some more.

9:10 a.m.: Remember that I need to wash towels or we won't have any clean ones for the next day. Go upstairs, throw a load into the washer.

9:15: Look in the fridge for a snack, realize that we're out of yogurt. Find a pad of paper to start a grocery list.

9:20 a.m.: Okay, it's really time to write now. Actually succeed in writing two paragraphs.

9:30 a.m.: Get an email from my husband asking if I can pick up youngest child from school this afternoon. Answer in the affirmative.

9:35 a.m.: Start wondering how my Facebook ads are doing. Check the Ads Manager to find out my cost per click.

9:40 a.m.: Write another paragraph.

9:45 a.m.: Realize that I need to research tibia fractures for my story line. Spend the next thirty minutes going down the Internet rabbit hole looking at X-rays, diagrams of bones, and websites about orthopedics.

10:15 a.m.: Write another paragraph.

10:25: Wonder what Lindsay Lohan is up to these days. Might as well check!

10:40 a.m.: Remember that I have nothing in the house to cook for dinner. Google "what to make for dinner." Sift through casserole recipes and Martha Stewart quiche recipes.

11 a.m.: Go to the grocery store to get ingredients for quiche.

12 p.m.: Lunch!

12:30 p.m.: Write another two paragraphs.

12:45 p.m.: A nap sounds good. Naps are awesome. I'll concentrate so much better after a nap.

2:30 p.m.: Wake up from nap, realizing that I slept almost two hours rather than the 15 minutes I'd planned. Rush out the door to pick up kids from school.

3 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Bring kids home, do more laundry, dispense snacks, nag people to do homework, make dinner, clean up from dinner, chat with husband about his day, my day, and the dog's behavior issues.

7:15 p.m.: Look back at my day, baffled about why I didn't get more writing done.

I'm thinking I might need a better system.