It never fails. When I peel off the April page on my calendar to reveal May, I just seem to have a hard time focusing on work. Yes, I become distracted in April — but nothing like the month of May.

Although I have the best of intentions to work hard, save my money, and whittle down my to do list around the house, when May rolls around I just seem to falter. And in a big way. I try hard to sit at my desk and be productive, however, it seems that everything I do makes me want to close up shop and head outdoors for adventure.

My day usually begins around 7 a.m. when I fire up the coffee pot (yes, I drink coffee year round). While waiting for that first cup, I take a few minutes to browse the headlines on various news sites on my computer. I typically check the top stories on several major newspaper web sites. This leads to clicking on a sports page, which inevitably leads to the publication’s outdoor section — which leads to a review of anything to do with being outside.

While downing a few cups of coffee, I check the forums on my favorite fishing sites such as www.ozarkanglers.com and www.fieldandstream.com. This is a morning ritual, but in the month of May the forums are loaded with hundreds of daily posts describing terrific fishing in great detail. Where to go, what baits are working, what to tell your wife you were doing all day that kept you from painting the guest room and earning a living. You know, some really useful information.

After regaining focus, I make my way to my desk to begin work. Of course, since a significant part of my work involves writing, I begin to work on getting in the mood. Now, don't get me wrong, I don’t need much motivation to write about all things outdoors, however, in May, it seems like a quick trip around the lake out my back door would really get the thought process jump-started. And as I look out the window of my office, I can't help but notice some top-water activity right behind my house! (I wonder if that fat little female largemouth I caught last night and released to the water has gone right back to sitting on that bed just a few feet from my landing).

Okay, after fighting off the urge to take a spin around the lake, which could easily take me right up to lunch, I work on returning e-mails and focusing on the stories with the tightest deadlines.

This is a challenge in itself. You see, some writers can simply create the story outline, call a few sources, and crank out the word count. I, on the other hand, enjoy meeting with the sources in person, preferably in May, on a bass lake where we catch fish on nearly every cast.

It’s difficult to limit the “research trips” in May to just those that are absolutely necessary to complete a project. Especially when they all seem quite necessary. Funny how we humans justify our actions.

I try to complete somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 words each day that I dedicate to writing. This may not seem like a lot of work, but in the month of May, that's really tough.

Even something as simple as heading to the mailbox creates problems. First, the spring air hits me like a 5-pound bronzeback heading for deep water with a 4-inch grub. Then I notice the trailer hitch on my truck sure would look good with a boat latched to it. That of course, prompts me to open the garage door and check my supply of 4-inch grubs in the storage compartment of my Ranger boat. Okay, know I’m in trouble.

Once I start hovering over my boat, I’ve completely lost all ability to think clearly. Living in the Kansas City area, I have a very limited window of opportunity to enjoy my boat ( I say to myself). November through March are no good because it’s pretty cold. It’s also not good on a fiberglass hull to use it as an icebreaker to get to open water. April is okay. So is June, September and October. July and August are just too hot. May is perfect. Now I’m thinking it would be a shame to waste a beautiful spring day.

In addition to being perfect for fishing, this month is also prime time for canoeing, hiking, camping, trap shooting, sitting on the deck drinking beer, and other distracting activities. After all you really can’t get all that done over the weekend. And according to the calendar, there are 31 days in May. Perfect!