Friday, November 20, 2015

I feel sort of guilty.

I do. I know I'm not supposed to, but I do.

See, I have so much to do. I have three books to edit. I have three to rewrite before the end of December. And I have two to rough draft.

And I haven't done anything related to any of those projects this week.

The problem is that I'm tired. Even when it ended up being nothing, the scare, drama and anger associated with the events of Tuesday night/Wednesday morning have possibly managed to tip over the scale into emotional exhaustion, which I have been trying to fend off since January.

So although I know I should write/edit, I just don't feel like I can. And when this feeling strikes, I know it's time to do something else instead.

Which I guess probably means I'm going to not do anything I set out to do in the beginning of November. But you know what? If that happens, I'm saving time simply by not pushing myself into a full-blown burn-out that lasts months somewhere down the line.

Instead, I'm going to take this afternoon off and draw. Then I'll see how I feel about things in the evening. If the drawing doesn't help, I'm going to keep drawing and add a reading marathon into the mix until the end of the month.

I'm figuring that a total of two weeks out of my writing schedule can't be that bad, given how little breaks I've given myself this year.

What do you do when you need to rest? 

15 comments:

  1. I know exactly what you mean. I'm editing several novels and have been sick for the last month-and-a-half, and it just drains me of inspiration. The only thing I can do is try to work things out in little bite-sized chunks. The smaller the pieces of writing I do the more I hope it'll add up. Stay strong!

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  2. I definitely rest when I need to, and so should you. A couple of days off and you'll be refreshed for the next stage of editing.

    I had to go back to your last post to find out what you were referring you - I'm sorry that happened to you. I hope the author apologised when it was proven it wasn't your fault!

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  3. Yes. Take a rest. Don't burn yourself out.

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  4. Best to rest and not suffer burn out. I've been putting one off too, just have other things to do.

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  5. Right there with you, but in different ways. When this happens to me, I close up all the projects, take up a good book or go to a movie. Just need to just down my brain.

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  6. I sleep. I tell my higher self before I nod off that I want to feel refreshed when I wake up and accomplish my goals for the day/week. It always works. of course by the end of a day I'm usually overwhelmed again. Try not to let circumstances beyond your control to control you.
    BTW, you have a LOT on your plate. Laughing helps too. :)

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  7. If you're tired and just don't feel like writing then I think a short break from it sounds like a good idea. Better that than try to force yourself to continue and lose all enthusiasm for your projects.

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  8. I agree. A little time off and away from writing might be just what you need. It's good that you recognized that you might burn-out. I always push on and end up regretting it. Hoping it all works out.

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  9. Sometimes a break is exactly what we need. :) And reading is important! It's like homework for writers. :)

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  10. Enjoy your break! I've been having one too, and I can slowly feel myself building up to wanting to write again. And I hear you on the tired! =)

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  11. Hi Misha,

    Yes, a positive distraction away from the writing and perhaps, unnecessary pressure on your good self. It's all about the balance within the potentially harmful emotion that guilt can bring on.

    When I need to rest and with chronic fatigue, that seems almost all the time, I let the dog take over my writing.

    In kindness and all the best,

    Gary :)

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  12. You owe it to yourself to listen to your body and take a break. Pushing yourself until you are sick isn't going to help you get any more writing done. Take care of yourself first and the rest will follow.

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  13. Be careful not to burn yourself out. It takes much longer to recover than taking a break before your body collapses.

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  14. Resting is good. Other creative venues are great for that. I like to draw or do graphics to help revitalize my creative juices.

    I hope you recover soon. :)

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