“Clear the decks,” the captain would bark when I was sailing around the world in our 43-foot yacht, Pacific Bliss. This expression originated in naval warfare of the 1800s, when it described how a crew would prepare for battle by removing or fastening down all loose objects on the ship’s decks.
On our boat, our crew would scurry about, stowing any pans on the stove that could slide off, clearing anything personal from the galley and salon area so that all surfaces could be used for charts and navigation tools, fastening latches on the cupboards and lockers, and battening down the hatches.
Now, as a landlubber, “clearing the decks” means “get ready for action.” I must finish dealing with what I am doing so that I can focus on something far more important. My priority for 2015 is to complete writing the trilogy “In Search of Adventure and Moments of Bliss.” But to accomplish that, I’d feel better with my research and files organized and easily accessible. That means getting my personal stuff and records (2014 tax files, etc.) out of the way and stowing the “history,” (the research and drafts of the already-published first two books in the series).
Clearing my desk clears my head. Does that make sense?
So I’ve swept the surface of my desk clean of extraneous stuff, put my journals and ship’s logbooks all in order (15 of them covering the last four years of our circumnavigation) and my two writing muses from the Austrian Alps are sitting on my reference shelf ready to encourage me by yodeling when I get stuck.
Journals and logbooks
Yodelers, my writing muses.
I’m interested in hearing from my followers. What process do you use to begin the New Year or a new project? How do you clear the deck?
About the Author: Lois and Günter Hofmann lived their dream by having a 43-foot ocean-going catamaran built for them in the south of France and sailing around the world. Learn more about their travel adventures by reading Lois’s award-winning nautical adventure trilogy. Read more about Lois and her adventures at her website and stay in touch with Lois by liking her Facebook page. Lois’s books can be purchased from PIP Productions on Amazon.
SailorsTales 
January 20, 2015 at 6:27 pm
Lois, you are amazing having the ambition I had at 50, but now that I am 75, I have slowed down and just think about getting organized!
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January 23, 2015 at 9:57 pm
I feel that I have slowed down a lot since being CEO of a publicly held company. That job was almost round-the-clock. Now I like to devote most of my time to travel and creative pursuits. I place writing the third book, adding beauty to Northern Bliss (landscaping and flower gardening), and developing that Heritage Home into a family reunion venue into that creative category. But giving presentations and promoting the book series is more like “work” to me.
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January 30, 2015 at 4:54 am
Lois, We share several great passions.
1) we have been living aboard our boat for the last 5 years whilst we slowly sail around the world.
2) I love writing whether it be the blog or the detective novel I am writing
3) photographing the places we have been.
I find it difficult to actually clear the decks as such because there is always so much I want to write about. It is never ending. I go to bed and something comes to mind and I find myself getting up early to get it down.
There is just too much life and too little time.
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March 4, 2015 at 1:35 am
[…] that I’ve cleared the deck and installed a new computer with dual monitors (Yay!), I’ve been writing about Southeast Asia […]
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