How Much of Yourself Can You Pour Into Your Writing and Still Stay Balanced

How Much of Yourself Can You Pour Into Your Witing and Still Stay Balanced?

It would seem on the surface to be a stupid question. But, as writers, we’re used to working alone. We’re accustomed to odd hours and crazy schedules. We spend long hours lost in worlds no one else would understand. So the boundaries of our playing field can become very blurred. Blurred boundaries can lead to burnout and a complete shutdown. In reality, it would be stupid not to ask the question — how much of me is there to go around?

Let’s examine this together using our personal time and tipping points. Our goal is to know exactly how much of ourselves we can give to our writing career without taking a loss in other areas of our lives.

Healthy individuals know how to recognize and anticipate when things are about to get out of control. This is a learning process, one that each of us can master. Knowing the signs that you’re approaching your tipping point is the first step. ~Source

How much of myself can I give to writing while not sacrificing other areas of my life

Self-care

Before we can accomplish tasks and build relationships we first need to be healthy in mind and body. It’s much like the instructions we’re given about emergency oxygen when flying. You must make sure you put that oxygen mask on yourself before you try to put it on others. Why? It’s simple. If you pass out because of a lack of oxygen, how would you be able to assist others?

It takes a designated amount of time to relax, sleep, exercise, and eat well — simple self-care necessities. If self-care time is robbed and consistently added to your writing time, it will eventually surface in poor health, increased anxiety, and maybe depression.

All of these factors can shut down a writer’s ability to think creatively.

Know your tipping point. Your mind and body will give you clues — listen! And learn to listen to those around you who know you best and care for you. They may recognize you’re reaching a tipping point before you do.

Certain factors become evident when we reach our physical and emotional tipping points. We’re easily angered, begin to distrust others, withdraw from friends and family, feel pressured by simple things, lose interest in things we like, fail to handle responsibilities, just to name a few.

Primary job

If you’re not a full-time writer, then you most likely have another job that supports you. Depending on what career field you work in, your working hours are probably set for you and could range on average from 30–60 hours a week.

How much writing time can you add to that schedule before you reach your tipping point — 5 hours, 10 hours, 20 hours? Even before you reach your tipping point, how many writing hours can you add to your existing work schedule before you’re mentally and physically exhausted? How far can you go before your workplace comprehension, speed and accuracy are diminished?

Remember, know your tipping point! Are you irritated constantly? Do you have no patience with your coworkers? Are you mentally zoning-out on the job? Are your projects missing their target dates and results? Are you ready to throw up your hands and walk away from it all?

Relationships

Relationships are the core of our lives but they’re the first things we push away when we find ourselves at the edge of our endurance. Why this happens I have no clue.

Writers are not exempt from this cycle. Juggling our writing, self-care needs, and the day-job requires diligent time management. On top of all of that, we have the area of relationships to consider. Family, friends, workmates, business contacts, neighbors, and significant others all have claims to our time and attention.

It’s especially critical to manage our writing time wisely in connection to our relationships when those we care deeply for are adversely affected. We have to find time to write productively and, at the same time, to nurture those relationships.

What have we gained if we achieve a high level of writing success but turn around to discover the people we cherished have somehow disappeared from our lives due to our neglect. Did we fail to see the tipping point or just choose to ignore the symptoms?

Takeaway

Everything that it takes to run our lives productively and happily takes balance. As writers, we want to write — and we can. But first, we must realize that we can’t write at the expense or detriment of other important factors and relationships.

So, what’s the answer?

Maintain a good level of self-care so as to have the energy and positive mindset to give to each task.

Create a mental time slot for each of your activities. Don’t let one task bleed over into the allotted time of another. For example, if you’re engaged in family time, don’t be thinking about the idea for your next writing topic.

Know when enough is enough and take the needed breaks to ensure your mental health.

Remember, you want to be a writer. So pace yourself and keep on track for the long road ahead.

Best of success to you!

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