Any extended project, from writing a book to fighting fascism, needs to be respected as a long-haul effort. You’ve got to take breaks. You’ve got to safeguard your strength. And you’ve got to find joy and hope to keep you going. I’ve collected a couple of things that have helped me, in hopes that one of them might help you, too.
Things to Get You Through Read More »
Whooo boy. How’s your anxiety this week? Weirdly, mine’s the lowest it’s been in months. Maybe because there’s really nothing left for me to do. (For the moment – additional activism comes later.) I’ve supported the candidates and causes I care most about. I’ve voted. I’ve encouraged a few other people to vote, and talked
How I Plan to Survive Election Week Read More »
The TRICKIEST thing about self-care is that your needs will change from one situation to the next, and it can sometimes take a bit of work to adapt to the changing situation.
What Does Self-Care Look Like? Read More »
Perfectionism is a like a terrible manager, and gets in the way of actual productivity. Learn to fight it by seeing yourself as a work in progress.
Combating Perfectionism with a Mindset Shift Read More »
I often feel quite adversarial about my writing: the plot doesn’t cooperate; my characters aren’t interesting; my structure is running away from me and I’m chasing hopelessly after calling “inciting incident, come back here this instant!”
If I were, instead, to nurture my idea, feed it, be patient with it, sit still with it: what would that look like? How would that work? Is there a part of my process that is already nurturing, and can I build on that?
Guest Post: Kim Aippersbach on Nurturing her Creative Work Read More »
This month’s guest post, by Lindsey Wohlman is an exploration of a couple big ideas to help keep your creative mind in top form — by giving it a rest once in a while, and inviting it to work in new ways. I remember seeing a reddit post in the LifeProTip subforum years ago. A
Guest Post: Lindsey Wohlman’s Ideas for Self-Care Read More »
Sometimes, you need to focus on the basics before you can focus on your art.
Creative Brain vs. Survival Brain Read More »
Thoughts on how to manage your workload in a more positive way.
Be Your Own Manager: How Much Work is Enough? Read More »
This month’s guest post is from someone I knew in my previous “before-burnout” life. I’ve been admiring her work as a playwright for a long while and I remember the days she describes: when plays “exploded” out of her. So I’m delighted to get this glimpse into how her process is changing, AND into how
Guest Post: Mia McCullough Describes a Valuable Writing Retreat Read More »
This post is part of my Be Your Own Manager series. Click here for an overview, and links to all other posts. I’ve often compared burnout to a repetitive use injury. The obvious solution is to rest for a bit, but I realized after my second major burnout episode that if I didn’t re-train how
Be Your Own Manager Series: Assume Good Intention Read More »