Welcome back!
I’m so happy to have you here.
I hope you’re having a wonderful Preptober so far!!
Let’s jump right into it…
So, I took Thursday off from writing.
Yes, I know, we just discussed having a writing schedule, sticking to it, and being productive. I have a list of to dos on Thursdays calendar.
I want to hit a few points in this post, and the major one is how taking a break is productive.
Huh? How can taking a break be productive? Isnt that literally the opposite?
It does seem that way doesn’t it, but its not.
The truth is, we don’t talk about self care in a healthy way enough. We talk about self care in the form of “buy yourself this because you earned it.”
Which, don’t get me wrong, sometimes the mini reward is something monetarily enticing. But is that truly fulfilling you?
Probably not. Something monetarily enticing is typically short lived happiness, lacking real fulfillment and joy.
I don’t say this to judge anyone or make anyone feel bad for treating themselves. I encourage you to buy something for yourself from time to time. Something meaningful, special, and useful. Which is the distinction I want to make. Stuff is just stuff, but if you’re investing in your happiness, or accumulating something that is truly fulfilling like maybe your favorite authors next book, then that’s what I mean. Monetary self care should be aligned with you, and your purpose. Because stuff is just stuff, and everything in your life should be serving you positively.
So next fun point: energy. I know, I know, here we go again, but hang in there with me. This is good stuff.
When you’re using your brain to creative massive works of art, isn’t it productive to recharge and refuel the tank?
As a creative, whether you’re painting, drawing, dancing, or writing you’re putting a lot of mental energy into your project. You’ve probably heard me say this already, but in order to create with ease, you need to have gas in the tank.
You can plan a road trip, visualize the scenery, book hotels and camping spots along the way, BUT without gas, or charging up your electric vehicle, you will not get there.
This concept is easy to agree with and put into perspective. The hard part is working in ways to make it happen.
Knowledge without application is just you having the car packed, keys in the ignition, car running, but failing to actually get in the driver’s seat, leave the house, and actually go on the road trip.
The most important part here is to remember that YOU are the driver. Putting these practices into action is completely your choice.
Excuses, and victim mentality won’t get you far. So just get in the damn car, take hold of the steering wheel and allow yourself permission to restructure your life into something that is energizing, fulfilling, and aligned with your life purpose.
So, now that I’ve talked your head off about energy, hopefully getting you as excited as I am, let’s get into why this topic was put on my heart to discuss: Nano.
Nanowrimo is almost here, and the goal is to try and write every single day. If you divide 50,000 words by the 30 days in November you get 1,667.
(Actually you get 1,666.66, but we’re not writing .66 of a word so let’s round up shall we?)
I dont know what your writing pace is, but I can write about 1,000 words in an hour when I’m focused, and I know what I’m writing. When I don’t have to pause to refer to my outline, character profile, or do some research.
So that means that I will probably be writing for 2 hours every day to make the 50k goal. But is this reasonable?
Do I want to get words down on the page every single day? Absolutely! However, I will not be breaking my mental back, and forcing out words to my own detriment.
(I also don’t think that words should he forced out)
Instead, I will do something for my mental health and take a break.
Thursday, I needed a break. I woke up early, completed the final touches on a project, then spent my lunch break working on writing. So when the afternoon came, I needed a break. I hadn’t slept well the night before, and I needed to relax. I knew that I was putting the work off, and putting it into Fridays plate.
But thats okay. Because I felt much better on Friday, and was able to finish Thursday and Fridays tasks that evening.
I allowed myself the break my body and mind were telling me I needed, and I was more productive the following day.
This is why I wanted to bring up taking a break, and how it is actually more productive.
In November, you may only write 500 words one day. But what if you write over 2,000 the next day?
The goal here is to balance. Figuring out how to still meet your writing goal, but also meet your emotional needs.
I talked about this in my first post, and video about Preptober.
Take time to detox when you get off work before you transition to writing or vice versa. Switch gears in your brain, and allow yourself the space to create with ease.
Taking a break can be like my Thursday, where I took the afternoon off of projects, and hung out with my friends on a game.
But it could also be just giving yourself an hour before jumping into writing to collect your thoughts, make some tea, and clear your mind of the residue from your day.
In fact, I highly recommend doing this, because you’re actively creating a routine that caters to your emotional needs.
If we dont take the time to care for ourselves we will burn out.
Nanowrimo is exciting, its my first time and I want to accomplish the 50k word count goal. However, I have to keep my mental health in mind, and balance the two. Sitting down to write may seem low energy because you’re not running a marathon, but your mind is.
So, to sum up:
1. Take care of yourself first.
2. Physical needs are just as important as emotional.
3. Taking a break or detoxing can help you manifest the energy you need to keep going.
Thank you so much for stopping by today. I truly appreciate your time.
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Watch the video companion to this post here:
Aimlessly On Point 