3 Ways to Confront Writer's Fatigue

Let's be real.

Some days, it is really really difficult to get anything done, let alone work that gives you anxiety for one reason or another. 

If you are like me, you are often pulled in different directions because your curiosity gets the best of you. I love to learn and I love to get involved in activities and groups that I find interesting. My problem is, I don't know when to put on the breaks.

It is absolutely insane for me to be working on a dissertation (remotely), a full-length novel, personal essays for magazine publication, and consultant research.

But I am. 

And you know what?

I'm producing the work that I need to produce. I am completing projects of which I am proud. And I very much enjoy the writing process. So while I can't say that I am always in love with all aspects of what I do, I can say that the privilege of writing, of making the written word a central part of what I give to the world, gets me out of bed and in my office when my anxiety and frustration are maxed out.

Starting my work day with a bowl of coffee and the cover of my novel on my desktop. I don't work on my novel every single day, but having this cover on my desktop never fails to inspire me to keep going.

Not everyone is great at multi-tasking. I actually don't consider myself a multi-tasker. I consider myself well equipped to compartmentalize, at least with regard to intellectual and writing pursuits. But if I had a dime for each day that I struggled to move beyond feelings of anxiety, despair, frustration, and even fear with regard to my writing projects, I would be able to concentrate on nothing but finishing my novel. In a large cabin. By a lake. With room service.

Here are three ways that I deal with writer's fatigue. I hope they are useful to you, or at least provoke your own thoughts regarding how you might better manage whatever obstacles keep you from enjoying your writer's life:

1) It really is, honestly, okay to say no. I still struggle with this statement. Saying no, from my perspective, means missing out on opportunities for myself, as well as opportunities to help others. But what I have learned is the more I say 'yes,' the more I forget meetings and deadlines, the more stress I put on my personal relationships, and the lower the quality of my work.

2) You do you, even when others don't quite get it. This is not to say that you shouldn't take into consideration the constructive criticism you are bound to get. I live for constructive criticism, probably to a fault. I've had to learn that, not only is it okay to stick to your guns, so to speak, but in doing so, you're not just producing material, you are producing material that is uniquely you and, therefore, value added to the world.

3) Allow yourself to dream and get excited about your dreams. Everyone has seen those tag lines that implore us to 'follow your dreams.' My father always reminded me that dreams are just dreams unless you turn them into goals. This is true. But if you don't allow yourself to think beyond your measurable goals, you run the risk of losing the energy and excitement that led you to those goals in the first place.

For more tips for writers, check out the other posts on this blog, or visit my Write. Just Write. Pinterest board.

Happy writing!