Those are very ambitious goals you’ve set out for yourself! Very admirable but also completely understandable if you hit a lull in that. I say don’t beat yourself up for moving more slowly than you’d like to, and perhaps try switching up the routine (if possible) from time to time. I’m about to publish a post on writing advice and this reassured me that it’s the right thing to do as we could all use a refresher about how to go about obstacles in our writing. It’s also nice to see that I’m not alone in this struggle. Thanks for this!
“(Over)expectation”--I like that descriptor better than “perfectionist.” But whatever word you use, I was born one! Through the years I’ve learned to be better about that, and this year really threw me into the practice of doing “just enough.”
In the chaos of family situations, I decided to start writing again, and I chose Substack as my platform. The first couple of months were difficult because I expected myself to be in a regular writing routine, but my week to week schedule was all over the place, making “routine” one big, fat joke around here.
So I began writing in spurts, piecing things together between appointments and travel and work commitments. And what I found is that it worked! When I had an idea, I wrote a couple of sentences in my notes app. Then I would come back to it and start a draft in Google docs. Then I would chip away little by little.
In the end, though, I do think breaks are necessary and provide time to just think. That’s another thing I prioritize--the thinking. Turn off the TV, put down the phone, stop reading. Just go for a walk and think. Works for me every time.
Sorry you’ve been going through this, Mark. I totally get it. I have an ‘all or nothing’ approach to life - I throw myself headfirst into the deep end of any new thing, and then when I hit a hurdle it’s the end of the world. I have checklists and trackers and ‘shoulds’ all over the place - although I’m doing a fair-ish job of trying to wean myself off them.
(Over)expectation of oneself can be such a powerful demotivator. Targets and routines are great, but in my experience they can be killers of enthusiasm.
Sometimes I feel I’d rather fail than try, and that’s really upsetting!
It’s fine to step off the treadmill. I’m doing just that for a while myself due to work commitments.
Hey Mark, I'm sorry things have been difficult in the writing department lately. Give yourself permission to do nothing if needed. It's interesting you're posting this today because I'm going to be talking about a similar thing on Sunday. Rest up and your bullet points sound like a good way to get back into it when you're ready. Looking forward to more from MarkFyve in the future!
Great article - as usual. But do NOT knock the impact COVID has had on you. My entire family has had it - kids and adults. Nothing is the same - smells, tastes, focus, etc. - as before. We get on with it and adapt, of course (it helps that 3/4 of the family is British and embodies the whole 'stiff upper lip' thing - as the single American, I seem to be the one who 'whinges' most) - but it moves the goal posts. And the game changes.
Hey Mark. It's okay to take a break. Believe me, you will figure out what you want to write about. Maybe you should change to writing at night after dinner. Then you've had the whole day to have something "pop" into your mind.
When I was writing my fiction, I got so far and then I hit a wall. Truth be told, I haven't touched it since I started writing my newsletter. But it will always be there, so maybe taking an extended break from it, will allow me to re-think what I was writing about and then get after it.
Those are very ambitious goals you’ve set out for yourself! Very admirable but also completely understandable if you hit a lull in that. I say don’t beat yourself up for moving more slowly than you’d like to, and perhaps try switching up the routine (if possible) from time to time. I’m about to publish a post on writing advice and this reassured me that it’s the right thing to do as we could all use a refresher about how to go about obstacles in our writing. It’s also nice to see that I’m not alone in this struggle. Thanks for this!
“(Over)expectation”--I like that descriptor better than “perfectionist.” But whatever word you use, I was born one! Through the years I’ve learned to be better about that, and this year really threw me into the practice of doing “just enough.”
In the chaos of family situations, I decided to start writing again, and I chose Substack as my platform. The first couple of months were difficult because I expected myself to be in a regular writing routine, but my week to week schedule was all over the place, making “routine” one big, fat joke around here.
So I began writing in spurts, piecing things together between appointments and travel and work commitments. And what I found is that it worked! When I had an idea, I wrote a couple of sentences in my notes app. Then I would come back to it and start a draft in Google docs. Then I would chip away little by little.
In the end, though, I do think breaks are necessary and provide time to just think. That’s another thing I prioritize--the thinking. Turn off the TV, put down the phone, stop reading. Just go for a walk and think. Works for me every time.
Good luck, Mark!
Sorry you’ve been going through this, Mark. I totally get it. I have an ‘all or nothing’ approach to life - I throw myself headfirst into the deep end of any new thing, and then when I hit a hurdle it’s the end of the world. I have checklists and trackers and ‘shoulds’ all over the place - although I’m doing a fair-ish job of trying to wean myself off them.
(Over)expectation of oneself can be such a powerful demotivator. Targets and routines are great, but in my experience they can be killers of enthusiasm.
Sometimes I feel I’d rather fail than try, and that’s really upsetting!
It’s fine to step off the treadmill. I’m doing just that for a while myself due to work commitments.
Hey Mark, I'm sorry things have been difficult in the writing department lately. Give yourself permission to do nothing if needed. It's interesting you're posting this today because I'm going to be talking about a similar thing on Sunday. Rest up and your bullet points sound like a good way to get back into it when you're ready. Looking forward to more from MarkFyve in the future!
Great article - as usual. But do NOT knock the impact COVID has had on you. My entire family has had it - kids and adults. Nothing is the same - smells, tastes, focus, etc. - as before. We get on with it and adapt, of course (it helps that 3/4 of the family is British and embodies the whole 'stiff upper lip' thing - as the single American, I seem to be the one who 'whinges' most) - but it moves the goal posts. And the game changes.
Hey Mark. It's okay to take a break. Believe me, you will figure out what you want to write about. Maybe you should change to writing at night after dinner. Then you've had the whole day to have something "pop" into your mind.
When I was writing my fiction, I got so far and then I hit a wall. Truth be told, I haven't touched it since I started writing my newsletter. But it will always be there, so maybe taking an extended break from it, will allow me to re-think what I was writing about and then get after it.