Energy Management

This morning I had a little sleep in. I didn’t mean to, I was awake at my usual time but I rolled over and the next thing was my daughter standing in the doorway calling out good morning. I’m also ok with that. I have had a productive week, I was tired and today, being Sunday, we are not racing off anywhere and I can follow my usual routine when I do decide to get up.

‘Wow,’ you think aloud. ‘Where is her angst, her guilt of missing a morning writing?’

Well, I’m not missing out on my writing time and I’m not sure everyone writes every day. I have found I need to. One, it keeps my writing flowing and reduces the chance of blocks. The second reason and but probably the most important is that I have to. I can’t make it through the day if I haven’t had time writing.

The secret to my new guilt free sleep in is I have recently discovered energy management. Well the discussion of it and it has validated those times when I am just too tired, emotionally or physically to do what I need to. That doesn’t just mean writing. There are times I don’t have the energy for reading, or cleaning, or cooking.

In one of my follow the links sessions from one of the blogs I read, I discovered Scott H Young (www.Scotthyoung.com/blog). Quite a clever young man and if you are a student he has lots of ideas and techniques to help you get the most out of your study and reading time.

I am very big on time management and have completed a range of courses to find the tools to help me maximise my time. And I try and squash a lot into my time. I’m a mother, working full time, now studying (and I have started a second long term course for work) and I want to write. So of course some days this all seems a bit hard.

The idea of energy management is being aware that we don’t have a consistent level of energy that operates 24 hours a day. It would be great, but it’s not possible. We need to think about when we have energy peaks and use them. But it also means we need to take the time to recharge our energy. That includes getting enough sleep and taking a little time out now and then when we need to. And not feel guilty about it.

So I am focused when I have energy, then when my levels are low, I can rest or do something else. I find ironing doesn’t take much energy for me and when my creative energy drops, I can take some time, catch up on ironing and on the TV I’ve been missing out on when I do have the energy to study of an evening.

Not only has this idea helped me with my time management and getting through what I need to in a day, it has helped me understand how others work. A friend of mine recently talked about someone he works with that writes music. This guy found it really hard to put all the energy he needed to into his job because he wanted to have the creative energy to write when he got home. At the time I had said that was rubbish. But now, maybe he can’t give that much energy to both aspects of his life.

It is an interesting idea energy management and I am determined to get a better understanding so that I can use it for good, and not for evil (such as excuses). More reading to be done I think.  Have a look at Scott’s website, it is full of interesting ideas.

Happy Scribbling.

Negotiating with Cats

 

I have this thing with the cat of a morning, she jumps up on my desk, works her way around the computer and tries so hard to look like she doesn’t care I’m there as she drops onto my lap. If she were to curl up and sleep then this wouldn’t be a problem. But she doesn’t, she nuzzles me for cuddles and pats, rubs her wet nose against my arm. Annoys the heck out of me until I guide her back to the floor and she either wanders off or starts again.

It use to be that I wouldn’t shut the study door in case I couldn’t hear my daughter if she woke or needed me. But she is nearly 6 she keeps reminding me (although nearly is actually 6 months away). And she can reach the handle and let herself in, loudly chastising the cat and reminding it that it can’t enter the sacred zone because “mama is working and she needs quiet”.

The fact that this is relayed in a loud voice, to a cat that cannot understand, is lost on her and as the flow is already interrupted I take a few minutes to cuddle with her and talk about what we will do for the day. Then she is happy to watch the cartoons and mama gets another half hour of quiet time, so the door will stay shut.

Sometimes I think the cat wakes her out of spite, because if she can’t play with me then someone needs to. But at least that is all I have to negotiate with, or work around for my quiet time at the computer, where I can lose myself in my writing, or concentrate on my studies.

My physical writing environment has been working well for some time now. Everything within reach, space to make it in, small heater under the desk so that fresh Tasmanian mornings don’t keep me from drafting. But the emotional writing space is just as important. And sometimes I have trouble bringing the two together.

Family can be a great support and if they need to support you by leaving you alone for an hour or two a day, talk to them about it. You don’t want to spend your writing time trying to negotiate with a cat.

Happy Scribbling

Another bad week

My writing journey hasn’t been moving along all that well lately. I have been blocked, sleeping through my usual writing time or part of it and then unable to write anything when I’m at the computer. Even blogging has been a painful process. I actually feel physically sick trying to think about writing a post.

I think I understand why I am blocked. And I had thought that with that realisation the problem may just slip away. Not yet. The problem is, I think, that I have taken on too much. Pushed my goals to unreachable and it has killed my creative thinking.

Firstly, I was so keen after my workshop with Fiona McIntosh that I pushed my first draft word count up by 50,000 words. The problem being that I didn’t extend my draft deadline. The process nearly doubling my daily word goal.

Secondly, I am plagued with images and ideas for another story, which is pulling me away from where I need to be. And it I would like it to be a big story (over three books) and that worries me too.

I have just started my Masters in Arts (Writing) which is amazing and great, but more work and I am struggling with getting back into study and a different type of writing.

And lastly, to top it all off, I have been knocked about by the flu, again, draining all energy.

Over the last week with my study, I have been looking at the duality of the writerly self and the inner critic. I think the inner critic has taken over pushing the negativity and preventing my creative voice any air time at all.

I am trying some tactics to try and resolve the problem. I have revised my first draft deadline out and giving me an achievable daily word goal. I am allowing myself some down time to ensure I am well and truly over the bug. And I have negotiated with my daughter for some time on the weekends alone in the study.

A good night’s sleep and then a good hour writing in the morning and hopefully I will be back on track.

Happy Scribbling.