What can I say about November 3 – November 9, 2019? Well, there were some special highlights, such as a beloved family member’s birthday and the fact that my family and I were blessed to wake up and experience each one of those days (always thankful for life). But on the book writing end of things, it was, quite frankly, a bummer of a week. I don’t mean to be a downer, but I didn’t get much done. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can blame it on Daylight Savings Time.
It was just a down right unproductive book writing/editing week. It was one of those weeks where my motivation and energy levels were low and I felt physically and mentally drained. I was pretty run down. For consecutive weeks, I’ve been going to bed way too late and getting up way too early. I know. I know. I’ve pretty much neglected my attempt at Revisiting Day 28 of the 30-Day Challenge: Procrastination Station for a few weeks now, and I’m feeling the residual effects. I have no one to blame but myself, because I know the toll that a lack of sleep and disciplined self-care can do to the mind and body and how that toll can hinder normal daily functioning if you don’t get things in check.
I’ve found that the end of the first draft can be more work on the mental capacity than when a writer is first starting the draft. In the beginning of your book writing journey, you have all these ideas for the book and you’re just rearing to go. So, you have at it and start free flowing. You may not be laying down the best written work, but you’re not worried about that. You’re not correcting every mistake or self-checking every move you make. You’re just moving, remembering that you can always go back and edit later. Right now, you’re simply in the mood and mode to get the words out. Fun stuff.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, you arrive at the end of the draft, which is an awesome accomplishment in and of itself. But I almost feel as if the draining part of the work starts here . . . for me, anyway? It’s the part where the editing comes in (D-R-A-I-N-I-N-G) and where some additional development of sections of the book are possibly needed. It’s that area where the finishing touches and fine-tuning are so prevalent. This place is where I currently reside, folks. It’s where I’m living at this point in my writing journey for book #2. And do you know what a writer needs in times like these? A writer needs to be firing on all cylinders. Guess what? I wasn’t this past week. Hence, the reasoning I didn’t get much done.
Granted, I attempted to do some book marketing on my first book, worked on odds and ends tasks that come into play as a creative entrepreneur, and tried to be many things for many people (held down a plethora of family responsibilities). But, the book writing/editing was void of substance. No excuses here, though. It’s like this: it’s imperative for me to develop a standing system that lends to an acceptable balance between personal (taking care of me and my family) and professional (taking care of my business) lives. This effort may take some time and trial-and-error to determine, but I’m a family woman and a writer for the long-haul, so I guess I’d better figure it out and quickly. I’ve got work to do for both lives.
So, what did I do last week, since I obviously didn’t do much with my book? Well, I did those things that I mentioned before. Plus, I was very active on this blog as I’m dedicated to being present here, even when my gas tank is running on empty. I love this platform and I want to keep things revved up. Furthermore, I managed to put out a YouTube video. Wow! Now that I think about it, I accomplished a lot on a low tank.
And an important realization I came to was the understanding that periods of time to recalibrate are necessary. Sometimes, you just have to take a mental and physical health break and be okay with coming in short on your list of to-dos or the goal-setting measures that you laid out for the week. As long as you keep the mindset of getting back to work as soon as you refill your well, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. You’re going to be okay. That’s exactly what I learned this past week and it was a big-time lesson. Again, as I type these words out, I’m realizing that this week was more productive than it appeared at first glance.
I’m going to wrap things up and reiterate this last piece of advice. ⇒ When you’re in a mode, where you’re not firing on all cylinders and you truly need to be in order to do justice to the task at hand, stop and recalibrate. Find those activities (or lack of activity) that will help you to relax, slow down, calm down, breathe, self-care, heal, refocus, and prep for successfully getting back to work. Here’s what I did . . .
- Slept a little more than I had in the past few weeks.
- Watched some video clips of highlights and interviews to catch up on how my favorite NBA and college basketball teams are doing. (I’ve been missing most of the full games because I don’t have time to watch them, so this gives me a little insight as to what’s going on. It’s okay to be entertained every once in a while.)
- Engaged with those inspirational motivators that bring life to my life such as family, friends, music, and the Bible.
- Watched some of my favorite creative entrepreneur YouTubers for uplifting, positive, and motivational encouragement. (When you feel drained, like you’re being pulled from all kinds of directions, it helps when you can draw energy from others who are on successful paths in their lives. For me, these people have been where I currently am, found balance in their lives, and came out victorious on the other side . . . happier, healthier, and stronger than ever. I pull from their energy when I’m low on mine.)
- Started in on my next set of Joanna Penn books. I’m currently reading How to Make a Living with your Writing and The Successful Author Mindset with companion workbook. (I’m totally reading these books for pleasure, because I enjoy reading about the creative entrepreneur. However, I’m also reading them as homework, because I enjoy learning what I need to know to be a successful entrepreneur by a successful entrepreneur. In addition, I wanted to study Joanna’s method of creating a companion workbook.)
And then I recited the following statement over and over until I really believed it:
degreesofmaternity.com 