Reading time: Just over 5 minutes
When I need an immediate boost, I have a list of 21 habits or tricks I can employ to get out of the writing doldrums…
I live in a city with many fine attributes: the weather is mild, the mountains are beautiful, the beaches spectacular. But for every good point, there are also bad ones. That mild weather often translates into torrential rain and seemingly endless grey skies. (We once had a house-guest from Korea staying with us for the month of February. She didn’t believe Vancouver actually had mountains because the city was so socked in for 28 days, she never had a glimpse of them.)
When life drags down my spirits — particularly my writing spirits — and I need an immediate boost, I know better than to trust “chance” to give it to me. Here are 21 ways I get out of the doldrums and persuade myself to start writing again.
- Clean my desk: Organizing or cleaning something always makes me feel better. My desk is a welcome target because I end up staring at it when I’m writing, and a clean, well-organized surface always makes me feel cheered and hopeful. But other areas work as well. Some months ago, I thinned and organized my (shamefully big) collection of earrings. I feel a little burst of pleasure every time I look at my now well-organized earrings.
- Go for a walk: I walk a lot, not least at my treadmill desk, where I also write. But if I’m feeling tired or down, I know that a walk outside — to the bank or grocery store — will give me a jolt of energy.
- Add a book I want to read to my Evernote list: I love reading, and sometimes even the anticipation of reading is enough to buoy me up. Whenever I see a positive review of a book, I clip it to my Evernote file so I have a list of books always ready for future reading.
- Read an article: I don’t allow myself to read novels when I’m supposed to be working, but if I’m stalled on a piece of writing or feeling totally uninspired, a brief, well-written article from the New York Times (I have a subscription on my phone) or a “Talk of the Town” piece in the New Yorker gives me a model of fine writing and a much-needed boost.
- Do something for my husband: My husband is a kind, deeply supportive man who was a 100%-involved parent when our kids were young. He has changed my life in so many positive ways. If I can do something for him — whether it’s making dinner or picking up a book at the library for him — it makes me feel great.
- Give myself a tick mark: Every time I finish something on my list, I feel proud and accomplished — even if the task is small. Every day I have a long list of tasks that will take me five minutes or fewer to do. Putting a tick mark beside each one I’ve finished always gives me a jolt of adrenaline.
- Eat a handful of almonds or a tablespoon of peanut butter on a spoon: These high-protein, high-fat snacks work much better than carbs for giving me reliable energy.
- Listen to a piece of peppy music: My son, who holds a music degree and has sophisticated taste in music, will roll his eyes to learn that I enjoy listening to Abba when I need a shot of energy. In case it helps, Duncan, I’ll also listen to musical theatre pieces like Oklahoma, or an energetic opera piece like “Ride of the Valkyries.”
- Exhale, then take a deep breath: As someone with writing apnea (I now see myself as a person in recovery), I know that our brains require a great deal of oxygen to work. Spending a couple of minutes paying extra attention to my breathing helps my brain get the steady supply of O2 that it needs.
- Drink a cup of coffee: I allow myself one big cup of coffee a day. It’s relatively low-caffeine Kona coffee from Hawaii (I special order it). All coffee drinkers need to know that every brand has different amounts of caffeine. For example, a Starbuck’s instant contains 16.9 mg per ounce while a Tim Horton’s brew has 13.5. You can see it all spelled out in the Complete Caffeine Database, accessible here.
- Have a glass of plain soda water with ice: I love my SodaStream, which allows me to “make” my own carbonated water without having to buy plastic bottles. (I don’t find the plain soda needs extra flavour, but if you prefer more taste, you can add a splash of juice.) Even better, the SodaStream — in combination with some temporary caffeine — helped me get Diet Coke out of my life. I used to drink a can of Diet Coke every day and couldn’t seem to break the habit despite my best efforts. When someone suggested the problem might be the caffeine (each 12 oz can contains 47 milligrams), I decided to drink plain soda instead and dose myself with caffeine pills. (I had to use a pill cutter to get the right amount.) In this way, I reduced the caffeine a little every day, and, over a couple of weeks, wrestled myself free from Diet Coke. Yahoo!
- Roll on a ball: I have chronic back pain, which often becomes much worse by mid-afternoon. I take a break to roll on a ball, which is fun and relaxing and immediately makes my back feel better.
- Bend forward in my chair for 30 seconds: This not only helps relax my back, but it also gets the blood flowing to my head, which helps me think better and which makes me feel more energetic.
- Turn on more lights: I’m sensitive enough to grey skies that I have a SAD light I can turn on for 30 minutes a day in the winter. But you don’t need a special light to give yourself more wattage. When you need a boost, turn on all the lights in the area where you’re working. The brighter light will help improve your mood.
- Block my time every day: I never just dive into work without making a plan. Instead, I strategize my day, which makes me feel happier, better organized and more energized. This time-blocking system allows me to do my most important tasks first, leaving the less important ones to fall on the floor if I run out of time.
- Stretch: Stretching my arms above my head and bending from side to side helps me to relax and feel more connected with my body, which is a welcome reminder for those of us who work in our heads.
- Laugh: I have certain friends who always make me laugh, but if I can’t talk to them, I satisfy myself by watching an episode of Randy Rainbow skewering Donald Trump. Rainbow is hilarious, and I love the Broadway showtunes he rewrites so amusingly.
- Pay attention to the temperature: We tend to think that cold “wakes us up,” but, in fact, cold causes our body temperature to drop, which tells us it’s time to sleep. I like to put on a pair of extra fuzzy socks when my feet get cold, and I always have a sweater waiting for me on the back of my chair.
- Check my posture: As someone who walks more than the average person, I try to be conscious of how I hold my body in space. The actions we do every day are far more important than those we do irregularly (i.e., exercising three times a week). When walking, I try to keep my shoulders down, my knees soft and my weight in my heels. When in a chair, I try to sit at the front edge of my sitting bones to maintain my natural arch. Having good posture gives me more energy and reduces my back pain.
- Do a French lesson: Like many Canadians, I studied a lot of French in high school. But after 40 years with almost no practice, I lost it. Recently, I’ve been doing at least one Duolingo French lesson every day. The software is free. The lessons are fast and effective and they’re like games. I get a jolt of energy from my daily lesson and will sneak in another one when I want a “productive” break from work.
- Do the New York Times mini-crossword: Although I’m a writer, I have never enjoyed Scrabble or crossword puzzles. Go figure. I get far more pleasure from just reading. That said, there’s a wonderful mini-crossword published by the New York Times that I now do just about every day. On a good day, I can complete it in less than a minute. On a bad day, it might take me seven or eight. But it’s always fun, and I like the way it stretches my brain.
We’re all unique individuals, so we’ll each have our own activities that help us feel happier, more energetic and more like writing. Take the time to create your own list of what works for you. Then, USE that list to help give yourself the boosts you need.
An earlier version of this post first appeared on my blog on Jan. 15/19.
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Need some help developing a better writing routine? Learn more about my Get It Done program. There is turn-over each month, and priority will go to those who have applied first. You can go directly to the application form and you’ll hear back from me within 24 hours.
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My video podcast last week addressed how to deal with conflicting writing advice. Go here to see the video or read the transcript, and you can also subscribe to my YouTube channel.
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How do you get yourself out of the writing doldrums? We can all learn from each other, so please, share your thoughts with my readers and me in the “comments” section below. If you comment on today’s post (or any others) by Aug. 31/24, I’ll put you in a draw for a digital copy of my first book, 8 1/2 Steps to Writing Faster, Better. To enter, please scroll down to the comments, directly underneath the “related posts” links, below. Note that you don’t have to join Disqus to post. See here to learn how to post as a guest. It’s easy!
