Take Time to Make Time
Take Time to Make Time
Increase your writing productivity with, yes, self care
Increase your writing productivity with, yes, self care
I’ve been walking a lot this week, and my body feels good because of it.
I’ve meditated a few times, and my brain feels good, too — clearer, more focused.
I’ve been eating right, except for a crème brulee on my birthday eve, and a chocolate chip coconut cookie on the actual day, and my digestion is excellent.
I went out with friends to a museum exhibit and dinner after, and I took most of my birthday off to have lunch with my daughter and get pedicures.
And I wrote 7,773 words on my novel this week. Plus several Medium articles. That’s a great output for me, and it felt really good.
Is it a coincidence that I had such a good writing week while also doing all those other things? I don’t think so.
This week, I’ve been taking time to make time. I’ve been doing all the things that support my energy, physical and mental. Self-care things. Energetic things. The kinds of things that you know are good for you, but you have a hard time doing.
Um, sort of like writing.
When Your Writing is on a Roll
It’s all about the momentum, babymedium.com
Why is it so difficult to do the things we love? The things we know will make us feel good?
I don’t have an answer for that. (I struggle with convincing myself to do them as much as anybody.) But, at the risk of sounding sanctimonious, I do know that when we do them life is better.
Self care for writers (even if you hate those words)
Fresh off a week when I’ve actually engaged in self care,or as I prefer to call it, taken time to make time, I will offer some ideas that have worked for me.
Figure out what supports you
Walking and meditation and connecting with family and friends are my jam, as the young’uns say, but they might not be yours. Maybe you like swimming and listening to music. And holing up in your writing cave without seeing another human for days on end. Whatever it is, do it.
Just begin
This is true with self care and writing. We resist and resist and resist. But if you can tell yourself just to open the door and step outside, or sit down at your desk and open the computer, momentum takes over and propels you farther.
As the old adage says, a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step.
Begin small
I find if I can get myself out for a walk for twenty minutes or so in the morning, the energy builds all day — and I usually go out for another one after dinner. Same with meditation. I got off it for a while, and to get back to it, I reduced the amount of time I committed to each session. Instead of insisting that meditation only counts when you do it for half an hour, allow yourself to sit for ten minutes. Or five. You don’t have to walk for an hour, start with ten minutes.
Remember that these activities build on themselves
Once you get on a roll doing them, you’ll feel so much better that it’s easier to propel yourself out the door. I resist walking (muscle memory from the pain I used to have prior to hip replacement surgery) like crazy and then I get outside and love it. Everything is better when I walk regularly — and once I remember this, it is easier to get out the door.
Let it become a self-fulfilling prophecy
After you build up a habit, be it meditation or walking or writing, there comes a time when it feels better to do it than not. And that is when you know you’ve well and truly established the habit. You’ll miss it when you skip it. And then it becomes a satisfying habit loop.
Don’t call it selfish
Taking time to take care of yourself is not selfish. It is a vital part of your writing practice. Anything that tunes your energy and helps you get words on the page is anything but selfish. Years ago I read a quote from Gandhi that I can never seem to find again, but it was something to the effect of: I have a busy day today, so I better take twice as long for my spinning. He knew that taking longer for an activity that centered and grounded him would give him more energy for a busy day.
So next time you’re lagging and feeling blah about life and your writing, it might be time for some self care. Make time for it!
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