I know everyone is different and I shouldn’t feel bad about being a little burnt out on blogging and writing after doing it 5 days a week consistently for only three weeks. Maybe that’s just me. Write three weeks, take a few days off. But what did I do with my two days of not writing when I should have been? I definitely didn’t get up early to do my morning yoga and squats. I got extra sleep! I spent a lot of time with my boyfriend and our daughter, mainly because we were doing some hard parenting for that non-listener, fake fit thrower. I read more in the bible (since I’m trying to make it through the entire book and I’m only 45% through the old testaments, I try to do a little every day.) I read more in Game of Thrones book 2. I felt exhausted. I worked extra hard to get through my list of lost customers at work (my job to get them back in, and I’m tired of looking at this stinking list). But after two days I realized I missed it! I want to write. And that’s when I realized there’s no point in beating myself up when my body and mind tell me to take a break. I’m not being lazy. I’m regenerating! Writing is hard work. I know it may not seem like it most of the time, for some of us it flows right out of our fingers without missing a beat, but your brain is still performing at high speeds to crunch out those amazing stories and that puts stress on you and your body. Your neck and shoulders tense, your legs cramp from sitting, your hands hurt in the night, your head hurts from staring at a computer screen…you need a break!
How do you know when it’s time to take a short siesta from writing? And how do you know when it’s time to go back?
For me, I’m going to try to stay in-tune with my mind and body more to know when it needs a break. It feels much better than pushing myself too hard. I’d rather take two days off here and there than another year! And I’m also not pushing myself as hard when I do write. I used to demand 2k words a day, six to seven days a week. Now, if I get 500 words done a day, that’s fine. I still get 2k some days, 1k others, but there’s no demand anymore. I do what feels right and it works so much better than way! It will get done. I have to remind myself sometimes that I’m not a NY TIMES bestselling author. No one is biting their nails, sitting on the edge of their seat waiting for my next book to come out. Sure, I have people already wanting to read it, but it’s not a dire situation. There’s no deadline. I’m in charge and my sanity and health is more important. How about you?
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