It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the first day of summer. So what is your summer writing schedule? Are you going to continue on as usual\u00e2\u20ac\u201dignore the call of the outdoors and stay holed up working from sunup to sundown? Or will you close the book on your current writing project and play all summer\u00e2\u20ac\u201dfeeling twinges of guilt every step of the way? Or have you created a balance between work and play and a mindset that will allow you the luxury?<\/p>\n
I hope to find myself in the latter scenario. In fact, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve already started the momentum. I just got back from a two-day family trip. Four generations of us gals\u00e2\u20ac\u201dages 19 to 85\u00e2\u20ac\u201dtook a little trip to celebrate my birthday. There were seven of us\u00e2\u20ac\u201dtwo sets of sisters, cousins, grandma (me) and great grandma. We had a blast. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be home for a few days and then I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m heading to Arizona to hang out with my friend from junior high school. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been best friends for over 50 years. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you know that I have to chuckle when I hear someone say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been friends for a long, long time.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d How long? \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Four years.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Or even \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Two and a half years.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Pshawwww!! Those folks are just barely acquainted. <\/p>\n
Being a full-time freelance writer and book promoter with deadlines and clients, how do I manage to play and still get my work done? Practice, I guess, and necessity. Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s my outlook and my schedule.<\/p>\n
Outlook: Take good care of your physical, emotional and mental self. To me this means be productive, adopt a healthy lifestyle, nurture your relationships and take time out to play.<\/p>\n
Implementation: Now for the hard part. How does one actually accomplish this sort of balance in a busy life? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not easy. I work at it constantly. Should life and living be difficult? Some would say, no. But who are these people? Do they feel productive or are they apt to spend a lot of time just talking about doing something\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 someday? Do they have meaningful relationships with key people in their lives or do they go months or years without reaching out to family and friends? Do they nurture their bodies and minds or do they consistently eat fast food and packaged meals and only talk about exercising? Some of these people may either work all of the time or play most of the time.<\/p>\n
How do you create that balance you need as a writer? How do you build your freelance writing business, write your novel or promote your books while also tending to your other needs? For some, a schedule works\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthey need to rely on the parameters of a fixed routine. Others maintain balance by listening to their bodies and tuning into themselves.<\/p>\n
If you must have the parameters of a fixed routine, I recommend careful scheduling. If you work half of your waking hours, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about 8 hours\/day. That gives you 8 hours to run errands, take care of household chores, socialize\/spend time with family, take a walk or visit the gym, prepare and eat three healthy meals, play (garden, crochet, do woodworking, volunteer or draw, for example) and relax. If you work on weekdays only, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s 40 hours\/week. And that leaves you an additional 32 hours for your other tasks, responsibilities and activities on the weekend. Now don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t tell me that you can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t find time to stay in touch with friends and family members, manage your home, lead a healthy lifestyle, relax and play during the 72 hours that aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t spent writing.<\/p>\n
Okay, I get it. Some of you are working part or full-time jobs and trying to establish a writing career. I admit, that a job can interfere. Add to that, a responsibility for small children and, indeed, you are a busy person. But you still have that desire to write and to take care of yourself\u00e2\u20ac\u201dso:
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tGet up an hour or two early and spend that time writing.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tWrite when the kids are at school.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tGet the kids to help with chores.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tOrganize errands to minimize your time away.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tYou have to eat anyway, choose to serve more veggies and fruit.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tWalk to the neighborhood grocery instead of driving.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tPark farther away from your destination so you have to walk a distance.
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2\tGet active as a family\u00e2\u20ac\u201dgo bicycling rather than watching TV, etc.<\/p>\n
I tend to go by what my mind and body tell me when it comes to creating balance in my life. After 33 years in the freelance writing business, I know when to hold em and when to fold em. When I err, however, it is on the side of obsessing \u00e2\u20ac\u201dof workaholicism. I have to watch out for burnout\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthat uncomfortable feeling of dread that I feel every once in great a while when I face a writing project. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s when I know it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time to leave my office and get change of scenery\u00e2\u20ac\u201destablish a change of pace. <\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve also learned to accept more invitations and to plan more time away when the opportunities present themselves. While some writers must trick themselves and bribe themselves to sit down and work, I find it harder to go out and play. So I pay attention to the elements in my world. <\/p>\n
I have incorporated a daily walk into my life. That happens almost no matter what. I keep plenty of healthy snacks on hand and I take time each week to plan and to prepare healthy meals. I keep in touch with close friends, neighbors and family regularly. I maintain a calendar of birthdays and other special occasions and I follow through with appropriate greetings. I garden and I go out on photo shoots for fun. <\/p>\n
I have to say that, as much as I love writing and operating the business I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve established, my time out walking or talking to neighbors over the fence or spending a day shopping with my daughters or having lunch with a grandson or traveling to spend time with a friend or gardening or volunteering with rescued kittens, becomes more and more meaningful with time.<\/p>\n
If you haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t yet established your writing lifestyle, let this rambling of mine help you to find your comfort zone. How will you know when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve discovered it? For me, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s when I feel whole and complete\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbody, mind and soul.<\/p>\n
Have you visited my Web site, lately? You really must see my array of books for sale and articles and resources for writers and authors. http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com <\/a><\/p>\n If you need help establishing yourself as a writer, you would definitely benefit from my book The Successful Writer’s Handbook<\/em>. If you have a young writer in the house, be sure to check out my Young Writer’s Handbook<\/em>. Are you interested in establishing a business writing articles for magazines and newsletters? Be sure to read A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles<\/em>. My little book, Over 75 Good Ideas for Promoting Your Book<\/em>, is a wonderful guide for any author who has a book to promote–and that is every author. My book, How to Write a Successful Book Proposal in 8 Days or Less<\/em>, is a great little handbook for authors contemplating the task of writing a book proposal. And my best biggest and bestest book of all for any author at any stage of their project, you MUST READ, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book<\/em>.<\/p>\n