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Writers juggle a lot on a daily basis. Whether we’re aiming for traditional or self-publishing success, or simply writing for our personal enjoyment, we tend to carry ten or more hats in our back pockets while juggling fifty of those neon yellow tennis balls – all at once!
1. Realize that those moments of feeling like a super hero are starting to become few and far in between. You used to feel like that at least once a week, but now you’re lucky if you feel like that once a month.
2. Realize that in order for your writing to be the best it can possibly be, everything else in your life must in order, and you must feel content with the most important relationships in your life (i.e.: spouse, children, family, professional, etc.).
3. Realize why you began this writing journey to begin with. Because you wanted to make a difference. Because you had something to say. Because it weighed heavily on your heart. Because you felt the most free when you were writing.
4. Realize that the most important component in books is the author itself. Without the writer in good health, mentally and physically, there’d be no book at all.
Once you sit down and realize all four of these, then you do the following:
1. Vow to step away from the writing for an entire week. Read a good book, watch some TV or a few movies, catch up on sleep, etc.
2. Vow to step away from social media. Social media can be very overwhelming and take up quite a bit of your time. Uninstall the Twitter/Facebook apps from your phone if you have to. Just make sure you step away from it entirely – and this includes blogging.
3. Vow to relax. Whether reading is relaxing activity of choice, or taking a nice, long, hot bath, or both. Or maybe relaxing for you is taking a yoga class. Whatever works for you, vow to do it and do it almost every day that week.
4. Vow to spend quality time with those you love. Add in a few extra date nights, tack on an additional night out with friends, surprise your mom or dad with a weekend visit. However you spend time with your family, double or triple it that week.
5. Vow to sit completely still for at least 30 minutes a day. Don’t read or do anything related to books and writing. Simply lie on the bed and be alone with your thoughts.
6. Vow to allow yourself to do all of the above without consequence.
If you can vow to all six of the above, then I promise you, your creativity tank will refill faster than you could’ve ever imagined. Before you know it, two days into the break you’ll have ideas flying through your head faster than those flying monkey in The Wizard of Oz,and you’ll be so giddy with writing them all down that you’ll fear you might miss one if you don’t have pen and paper readily available at all times.
Oh yes. I've often felt like I'm on autopilot. Takes a conscious effort to pull back and re-evaluate priorities. It's not always easy, but a must do.
Hey Tina!
That autopilot thing sounds good in theory, but it gets so boring and then you start to feel so unlike yourself – which is the worse feeling in the world. Ugh! 🙁 You're right, it's not easy to do to step back and restart, but it's definitely something we must do! 😉
Thanks for stopping by and commenting! 😀