writing motivation Archives - Addicted to Writing

Writer at play.

Man, that was a long title. Sorry about that. I can explain. I was away from the blog for a while, and I have a lot to say. Most importantly, by slowly committing to my daily, weekly, monthly and yearly resolutions, I have finally ticked off some significant items of my calendar and to-do list. I’m by no means done, but I’m content with what I’m achieving each day. Given that my to-do list is gigantic and mostly work-related, this means something.

First, on that mandatory break: I don’t hold back about my health issues on this blog. I even wrote a love letter to freelancers with health problems. Of course, I love you all, but those of us with poor health tend to need the extra motivation.

This time it was my gastritis acting up. I had gotten a bit too focused on trying not to get a cold (by taking fish oil pills) and keeping my blood sugar in check (via medication), that my stomach had its biannual (or more frequent) meltdown by making me feel nauseous for days in a row. After a strict and mandatory diet of mostly toasted bread, white cheese and baked potatoes (and *almost no coffee!), I slowly got better. And this time, I really want to take better care of myself.

I generally take good care of myself, with the exception of chocolate, extra dairy, and the lack of exercise. Seriously. I rarely drink. I don’t smoke or consume soda or sugary drinks. Any dessert that isn’t chocolate-based is a waste of space for me. I don’t even eat that much. Any extra pound (yes, there are many) is due to sitting too much (because hello, writer!), and the chocolate overdose.

So after the nausea went away, I’m still on a residual diet. I watch how many raw vegetables I eat. I try not to overdo coffee (my overdo is 3 mugs per day, tops!), and I eat much, much less chocolate. I also try to walk at least 5000 steps a day.

Now, this might seem laughably few to those who are much more active, but even 5000 is better than 0. I go to the park near my house, get a lot of fresh air and play with adorable kitties. I cut most junk and processed foods a while ago.

I also go to bed a little earlier and get up a little earlier. Oh, and I try to reduce the screen time. (Shut up, Yoda! Trying is better than not doing anything at all!)

This conscious effort to move more and eat better has already shown its benefits. I’m pitching to production companies regularly. My to-do list has never seen this much erasing action. I’m happy.

What does this have to do with resolutions? Because it goes directly to those resolutions that we make with the best of intentions but never get to. Because life. Do these sound familiar?

Eat more healthily.
Drink more water.
Get more done!
Pitch more!
Write more!
Move more.
Lose 10 pounds.
See your friends more.

…..

The list goes on and on, but many of us share them. I used to think I was an all-or-nothing person. But it turns out taking smaller steps is better for me.

Because while 10,000 steps a day might be ideal, 5000 still beats the helluva shit out of 1000. Because while I might not want to or need to cut dairy, I can watch it. I can eat two dark pieces of chocolate instead of two bars.

I’m not saying I am, or my life is, perfect. It’s not even close. But people, it turns out, Yoda is wrong. Try there is.

Keep writing and living!

(*I had Turkish coffee when I was nauseous. It is a tried and working medication, though you still shouldn’t drink more than two cups a day. Not great for the heart. It tends to be strong.)

Does it seem familiar? Busy Writer cartoon via weblogcartoons.com.

Freelancers often worry about creativity blocks, lack of time, unsatisfactory levels of productivity and lack of promising projects. But what happens when you find yourself bursting with ideas, enthusiasm for promising projects, inspiration for your own marketing efforts, combined with the expectations of your day job/part-time job if you have one?

My “juggling” need started in late May when I had to deal with multiple competitions I wanted to enter, lots of ideas to pitch to different kinds of clients, upcoming deadlines for existing clients and the much-needed updates to my own web presence and marketing plans. With only 2 to 4 weeks to pull it all off, I came with an efficient plan to manage everything – without losing any valuable ideas in the process. I’m progressing at an effective speed.

Oh, yes – this can happen. Maybe it is the summer bringing out extra creativity in me or the upcoming deadlines of writing competitions, but I never had so many ideas and deadlines at the same time. The competitions want the type of stories I’m interested in, I have a lot of cool ideas both for my own and other people’s publications, potential new clients…and did I mention that the deadlines are relatively close and I also have a part-time job?

No, I’m not complaining. I’ve been quite thrilled and motivated actually. OK, I did panic a bit in the beginning. But once I sat down and came up with a followable plan (which is a plan that doesn’t push my limits more than it has to.) Everything fell into place.

So how do you start taking steps to enable yourself to juggle everything at once while performing satisfactorily at all of them without missing deadlines? Beware that you’ll need to do most (if not) all steps simultaneously.

1) Take a deep breath, and start researching.

What are your options? The deadlines? The costs? Conditions?

Prioritize according to your needs, expectations and the potential rewards. Then get to work, starting from number 1 on your to-do list.

2) Note down all the ideas- no matter how big or small, good or mediocre, detailed or precise.

Note who they might be for, and don’t limit yourself to one market/client. If this is a perfect fit for more than one market, write that down too.

3) Take this rush “period” to quickly but efficiently digest the extra information you need on the markets and how-tos.

I know there are a lot of great resources lying around waiting to be studied- and there is no time like the immediate need to devour the urgently-needed tips. This might even give you more ideas, which you will include in action number 2. Nobody is 100% creative or productive all the time, so take full advantage of this period.

How to Get Back to Writing After a Mandatory Break By Realizing Your Resolutions (No Matter The Time of the Year)

How to Handle a Big Boost in Ideas, Projects and Needs

1) Take a deep breath, and start researching.

2) Note down all the ideas- no matter how big or small, good or mediocre, detailed or precise.

3) Take this rush “period” to quickly but efficiently digest the extra information you need on the markets and how-tos.

4) Do the actual work – whether it is marketing, designing, writing, editing or else.

5) Switch between projects, without missing deadlines, when you get stuck or less productive.

6) Check, polish and deliver to the final destinations – but don’t forget to keep track of what you did for whom and when.

7) Cross “the done” off from your list of priorities – and make a new list of priorities if you have discovered more of those.

8) Review, refresh and edit your list of ideas- note their desired destinations and make a plan for the next couple of months.

9) Relax a little, do the social stuff you might have missed to recharge for the next round of rush period.

10) Reap the rewards and lessons of this insanely busy period.