Hello, friends. This week, I felt tired. I was easily irritated. I slept poorly, drank too much coffee, and didn’t get enough fresh air. It follows that I also didn’t write as much of my novel as I’d hoped – and not for lack of honest effort.
In the past, I’d have been angry with myself. I’d have decided that I was a slacker and an impostor, and found ways to punish myself. It would not have occurred to me that a) I don’t treat others this way, and 2) I would not tolerate this treatment from someone else.
However, in a small but encouraging sign that change is always possible, I didn’t fall for the own-worst-enemy routine. Instead, I decided to be gentle with myself. I gave myself an hour off. And when that hour was over, I went to my writing shed and happily fixed a scene that had been troubling me for 2 days. It really works, not being a jerk to oneself.
In an effort to step back and protect myself in future rough weeks, I’ve made a checklist called, “I’m stuck/tired/lethargic/don’t feel up to writing, WAAAAAH.” As its name so subtly suggests, I’m aiming to train myself to refer to this list every time I feel stuck, etc.
When I mentioned my checklist on Twitter, I got an immediate response and fell into a really interesting private conversation with another writer, which made me think that I should share my list here. It’s geared to me as a self-employed writer, of course, but I think it’s much more broadly applicable.
So, on days or in moments when I feel stuck, etc., my goal is to step back and consider: why do I feel this way? Is it a) low mood, 2) mental fatigue, 3) physical fatigue, or 4) a combination (or something else entirely)?
Then, I have a list of strategies for each type of problem.
Low mood
- Focus on self-care: go for a walk, practise yoga, or make a cup of tea and drink it while looking at the garden.
- Do a couple of small tasks that cost little energy and are satisfying to check off on a list (viva the bullet journal!).
- Organize something small; choose something that gives positive concrete results.
- Think about another aspect of my life that I could change, with satisfying results, and make a plan to take care of it.
- After an period of self-care, try slipping into a writing session. Even a couple of hundred words can be a triumph.
Mental fatigue
- Take a short break from work.
- Focus on something concrete and personal (NOT for the children!).
- Maybe do something domestic: garden, bake, tidy.
- After a break, turn towards the WIP: where am I in this project? What tweaks do I need to make? Make notes towards the next writing session. Maybe slip into that writing session, or maybe not.
Physical fatigue
- Rest, already!
- Read (secondary sources or go over the existing WIP).
- Think about an aspect of the WIP and where it’s going. Once the brain is humming, slip into a writing session.
If progress on the WIP remains elusive
- Work on a secondary project (mine is currently a picture book)
- Make a list of scenes, flesh out in the historical detail in the existing WIP
- Read secondary sources
- Figure out how to start the next writing session with a sense of momentum, inevitability – map out where I need to go
That’s my checklist-in-progress. It’s far from exhaustive, though, and I hope to build on it. What do you do, friends? How do you manage work slumps and protect yourself from your harshest critic?
Christine Duncan says
What a fabulous list… hope you won’t mind if I pin and share with my writing friends 🙂 Thanks Ying!
Ying says
Hi, Christine! I’d be happy for you to share. Hope you’re blooming!
GEW says
I love this! I want to share it with my online writing group, too. 🙂
Ying says
Thanks, GEW! Share away. (Any traction on the writing shed yet?)
GEW says
No shed yet. I think it will be a few years. Perhaps that’s why I piddled away a least one hour (or more) this morning before getting my butt out the door and to the coffee shop. Shed or no shed, I need to make clear, daily plans. Have you been keeping on your shoes and heading straight to your shed? Part of my problem is that I like to start the day (after dropping of the kids) with a walk. It makes me and the dog happy. But then I have to get cleaned up and eat something, and it’s very easy to get sucked into home tasks somewhere during the transitions. Gotta figure it out!
Ying says
Every time I take off my shoes “just for one thing”, I get sucked right into the vortex of housework/phone calls/email. So yes, straight to the shed. I’ve learned to leave my laptop, water bottle, and cup of coffee right by the door. But clear daily plans help a ton, too. Have you tried out the bullet journal or something similar? That’s helped immensely, too.
Mel says
I go away. Like right now, my never ending work pile continues to grow, I go for a long drive. I’m taking a day off tomorrow and camp alone in the woods.
I look forward to finishing Rivals in the City and start Firebug by Lish McBride.
Ying says
Mel, I LOVE the idea of camping alone in the woods! What a brilliant way to clear your mind. Thanks for commenting.