Whether it is the current assignment, your new post, the kids or something else calling, there comes a time when we need to pull ourselves out of the bed, wash up and get ready for a hopefully fun battle that is a writer’s day.
It’s much harder to just respond to logic (“I need so much to do, and I can’t just wait for everything to be perfect to start my day!”) after a bad night’s sleep, when you have a cold or the weather is as bleak as in a post-apocalyptic movie.
It’s even harder if your body loves and/or needs a lot of sleep. Here’s all the weaponry I arm myself with to drag myself to my writing desk and chair: (Because I can’t be happier once I start writing away.)
Make sure you’ve slept enough!
I envy the lucky souls who only need 5-6 of sleep to start the day with full energy and working brain cells. I however belong to the majority that needs 7-9 hours.
Hell, I need much closer to 9. Whatever your magic number is, make sure you get your fill. Because even though you exercise and eat healthily to make up for the lack of sleep, tiredness and lack of productivity will creep up on you no matter how many cups of coffee you drown, and we both know losing count of how much caffeine you take is only good for sitcom characters.
Choose a Kick-ass Alarm Song
Sometimes an early meeting, a late night out with friends or just some appreciated after-midnight inspiration doesn’t allow you to wake up all energized. You need some motivational intervention to kick your body and soul into motion
And even if you wake up all energized, extra vigor and flare never hurt anyone. Now, I hate the typical beeping sound. So I set my alarm clock (aka my cell phone) to play a rocking tune (currently it’s Where the River Flows by Collective Soul) to let me know morning has arrived.
If you need any suggestions (these songs also are great for picking up pace for your stories, finding motivation, typing faster and boosting up your confidence before you send that pitch.):
Roxette- Dressed for Success – She’s Got the Look
Bon Jovi – Everyday
Soundgarden – Original Fire
Exercise
Ideally for 30 minutes, to equally vitalizing music. I prefer dancing, aerobics or a combination of both. Don’t forget to stretch before and after.
Even when you don’t have time, pick some good basics and do them anyway. 5-10 minutes is better than nothing.
Shower
Save the foamy, relaxing bath for later. Now you just want to feel fresh and awake.
Have a Healthy Breakfast
That, under no circumstances and in no universe, means black coffee on empty stomach! A whole-grain toast with some healthy cheese beats a bowl of cornflakes. Add some healthy yoghurt, some freshly squeezed juice to the mix if you can and you are good to go.
Yes, your nutritionist will know better. You know your body better than me too. But we both now a candy bar is not what you need. (Yes, I love those too. Life is just not fair.)
Make Sure Your Desk Beckons You
It’s your working environment, so how much you organize (if at all) and how you decorate is up to you. Take 5-10 minutes to create your ideal space, but don’t use it as a reason to procrastinate.
Type the Words Away
You made it! Happy Writing.
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This is my favorite ritual, and things go a lot for better for my spirits (and writing) if I stick to it. Of course this is for a typical morning. If the weather is too hot to bear, this is the post you should check out: Productivity for Writers: Tips to Increase Your Productivity During Hot Weather
Hi, Pinar! *waves* It’s taken me a while to get to reading this, but here I am. Yes, I’m with you, in the ‘must have 9 hours’ camp, to operate effectively. My grandmother used to amaze me because she only ever needed 3 hours a night, right from a young (adult) age. She used to find it very hard during winter months because of the longer hours of darkness. I imagine she spent a great deal of time waiting for the sun to rise. Yet she couldn’t force her body to sleep longer. And she was a successful, well-regarded woman too, active in volunteer work to a fault, her whole life. If I had to manage on 3 hours a night, I’d be assigned to the looney bin in no short order!
Thanks for commenting! It’s great to have you on the blog:)
There has been one incident when I functioned well enough on 2,5 hours of sleep: I was flying to catch my favorite band for the first time, and the flight hour didn’t allow much sleep. Yet I went to the concert area hours before, then danced for two hours and then some. Normally, I am like a zombie after 6 hours. I guess it takes something really big for me to function well sleeplessly 😀
Where there’s a will, there’s a way, right? For my fave band, I could scale mountains. Hee
Speaking of favorite bands, what’s yours? 🙂
Steve Earle is top of my list. Love, love, love. He’s just about to put out a boxed set and I’d just about sell a tooth to get my hands on it. 🙂 Next would be The Blasters. Then Joe Jackson. Old school, darling. What about you, Pinar?
Love your list!!
My fav. band is Bon Jovi, followed closely by Poison, Def Leppard, Whitesnake, Matchbox 20 and others. Do I hear the 80s and 90s calling? 🙂
Ha ha, that’s brilliant. Hey, I like your list too. You’re a rocker — I knew I recognized a sister in you! That means you’ve got some spirit and fire, just the way I like my friends. Let us carry on!
That was my reaction to your list:)
There’s no stopping us…
I just “discovered” your blog on a trip of following one thing and then getting distracted by another suggestion–if you like this you may like that…and I’m off and running. My curiosity rules when I’m on the internet. Your article about procrastination is the first time I learned about your blog. I’m so glad I did! I really need to settle down and do one thing at a time, but the convenience of multitasking is hard to beat. You’ve given me a lot of ideas to get past my unfortunate practice of turning my computer on when I get out of bed in the morning. I yawn, get a cup of coffee, and sit down to “just check my email”…and suddenly it’s 3:45 in the afternoon and I’d have a hard time explaining what I’ve accomplished.
Thank you so much for sharing your suggestions. I’ll be following you as soon as I send this.
Hi Sara, welcome to the blog and thanks for commenting:)
E-mails can in fact be one of productivity’s biggest enemies. So sometimes, even though it can be frustrating, losing your internet connection for a bit (or better yet if you choose to go offline yourself), will free you to write away…
P.S. I love your blog’s name!!
Hi, Pinar!
I followed you through Blog Engage, and I’m glad I did! I’ve been needing to find the motivation to clear my desk yet again. Twice a year it gets intolerably cluttered, to the point where I can’t set something down without knocking off three other things. But the task is so daunting I keep putting it off!
This is just what I needed to motivate me. Maybe if I liked sitting down at my desk again, I’d be inspired to do more actual writing!
Thanks again,
Delena
Hi Delena,
Lovely to have you on the blog!
A great thing about blogging for other writers is that I get to write posts that I need to see as well 🙂 It’s a lot more practical and helpful than simply compiling a to-do list.
Thanks for commenting, and do come back. : )