Are we all too busy?
People ask me how I am enjoying retirement from teaching. My response is usually to complain that I’m busier than ever before. I usually add that I have no idea how I fitted in going to work. Many other retirees claim to suffer from the same dilemma. This strange malady, however, is not restricted to retirees. I find, as I talk to people, that it seems to be right across the broad spectrum of society.
Moira Allen, of Writing-World.com has written about this 21st Century problem in her latest email newsletter (Writing World 6:06):
I think we all have increasingly begun to suffer from
the plague of the 21st century: TOO MUCH TO DO. I have yet to
talk to anyone who feels that they have fewer demands on their
time than they did five years ago.
The Plague of the 21st century
She has dubbed it a plague. It seems like a illness that almost everyone has caught, but no-one seems to know what to do to fix it. Consider some of its symptoms as it relates to writers:
- An overwhelming desire to write 10, 12 or more hours daily to get in front of the pack
- A need to read countless emails or newsletters about writing to find those opportunities that will give one a much needed break one’s chosen field
- An urge to constantly research on the internet trying to find information that will make your writing shine, or rise above the common, ordinary work of others
- An urge to write pieces that exhibit perfection, constantly revising and polishing
- For bloggers, having a guilt trip if one hasn’t posted anything today – or even in the last hour or so.
I could go on and on.
But enough of my grumbling.
What can we do about it?
I’m pleased you asked. Here are a few of my humble suggestions on overcoming the plague of the 21st Century. Note: these suggestions are aimed at writers and bloggers in particular. They may not work for everyone, but they are at least worth a try.
- Switch off the computer. (Ooooh – that’s a tough one to conquer)
- Go for a walk.
- Do some stretching exercises
- Read a book
- Attend to your hobby (you do have a hobby?)
- Start a new hobby.
- Do a crossword.
- Smell the roses.
- Watch a bird.
- Weed the garden.
Then come back to your writing refreshed and invigorated.
It will show in your writing.
Maintaining Motivation as a Writer and Blogger
Stop. Revive. Survive.
This is the slogan used in many driver safety campaigns. Drivers are encouraged to stop driving, especially on long journeys in the country, take time out to revive and in so doing to survive. Good advice.
Writers and bloggers are vulnerable to writer’s fatigue. Setting a cracking pace can ultimately have a negative effect. The pressure of posting daily or an upcoming publisher’s deadline can have a crippling effect on one’s effectiveness as a writer.
Shai Coggins has taken up this point in her posting called “Stop. Revive. Survive.”
…blogging is like a journey. When you start to blog, you open up a whole new world online. And, like with any kind of journey, it is always exciting to begin.
But, excitement fades at times and exhaustion creeps in eventually. When this happens, it’s time to stop and revive. Otherwise, bloggers who try to continue past this stage end up feeling burnt out – to the point of completely giving up.
She goes on to give some very sound advice in maintaining motivation as a writer or a blogger. I believe that creating a mental and physical freshness will result in far more effective writing. I know that a dull mind can easily create dull writing.
Some Suggestions:
Here are some of my suggestions for remaining fresh and motivated:
- Get up and do some stretching exercises.
- Go for a walk around the garden and literally smell the roses.
- Turn away from the computer screen and see how many different birds you can see out side (I’m a bird watcher so this can be VERY refreshing and VERY distracting)
- Read today’s newspaper – a change of pace and often a source of inspiration for writing.
- Take time out for thirty minutes and do the crossword in the paper; it’s an excellent mental stimulation and increases your word knowledge.
- Revisit your favourite book and dip into it anywhere (but don’t keep reading for hours (keep it for bed time).
- Ring a friend and chat for ten minutes about anything (but don’t talk for hours).
- Go to your favourite chair and day dream for twenty minutes (but don’t have a “grandpa nap” like I find myself doing, especially late in the afternoon).
These are some things that work for me.
Each person has a different way of reviving the flagging spirit and body.
What works for you? Leave your comments so that we can all benefit.
Blogging with the Bald Man
I continue to read through the various submissions to Darren Rowse’s group writing project “The Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers” on ProBlogger. Today I read the article on Bald Man Blogging.
One of the habits he highlights is to read, read, read.
Read, Read, Read
The mind requires stimulation. I have a collection of 50 or so feeds of personal interest. Plus a couple dozen that are specifically to feed [pun intended] sundry blogs. I also keep track of all the b5media blogs. I’ve got the usual friends and familiar voices in Bloglines, but I also try to include several from outside my box. You never know where an idea might come from. Diversity breeds insight. Conflict creates change. And change is an opportunity to grow. In addition to Bloglines, I have a few books and magazines laying around the house.
Yeah – I have no trouble with the concept. I am a voracious reader and usually have four or five books and up to a dozen magazines that I am currently reading. That all takes time. Time away from writing, time that could be spent blogging. Now I’ve started reading the bogs of others in a big way. The time online just disappears so quickly. Before I know it several hours have gone – and not word written.
Discipline. That’s what I need. A disciplined reading programme to balance my writing.
Anyone got any ideas on how to do this?
Why Should Writers Blog?
Desire M. Hendricks in her blog “A Conservatory of One: Exploring the Writing Craft and Llife” says it so beautifully:
There’s an immediate audience when blogging. Blogging also provides a sense of community via comments and linking. The solitary nature of writing is somewhat diffused by these qualities. Because of these things, I greatly enjoy blogging.
Two questions for my readers
Why do you write?
And if you also blog, why do you blog?
Four Habits of Success
The principles of success seem to have many common denominators. They seem to apply in many different endeavours in life. Applied diligently, they can make a huge difference to our lives, enhancing what we do, making how we do it easier and more meaningful and satisfying. If success comes as the world sees it, like wealth, prestige and fame, then that can be a bonus. If success means doing your best, being satisfied with a job well done and really feeling good about the outcomes, then the intrinsic value of these principles of success are incalculable.
Four Habits of Success
In his blog “Shards of Consciousness: Explorations of Personal Development” Richard Cockrum has written a series of thorough, thought provoking and lucid articles of various aspects of living life to the fullest. The piece of advice in this article that appealed to me as a writer and as a blogger was about staying balanced in life. Juggling all the demands in life is an art form many people fail to achieve. (Sorry – the link to Rick’s site no longer works.)
Stay balanced. Your vocation or avocation, including your blog, isn’t your entire life. You have relationships. You have other areas of life. To keep each of these fresh you need to make sure you spend time and energy on all of them. This doesn’t mean that you won’t have periods of focus only on one thing, but it does mean that these periods of high focus can’t become habitual. No one can effectively do the same thing day after day and hour after hour while expecting quality results.
The Demands of Writing
Writing in all of its forms, whether that be fiction, poetry, blogging, journalism or whatever, demands an intense focus. It is for many a lonely life, sitting at a computer for long hours at a stretch. Richard’s advice to “stay balanced” is very important. At present, my major focus apart from this blog on writing is my blog on birding. If I sit at my computer writing about birds all day it will become stale and unreadable. I need to bring balance to my life and actually get out there in field and watch some real, live birds. My writing then comes alive, not merely academic.
The writing also taps into a passion of mine – watching the beautiful birds we have here in Australia.
And the readers will be able to tell that I am passionate.
And they will return.
Updated November 2013.