Not everything that supports your writing is about writing. Those of us who work from home face particular challenges you don’t see in an office. You can get away without wearing pants. You can eat six tiny meals of avocado toast washed down with your seventh cup of coffee. But if you want your work time at home to be productive, happy, and lead you faster to your writing goals, take a step back from worrying about craft and check out these writing tips that are not about writing.
Most of these self-care writing tips help you adjust your mindset. I didn’t intend to include mindset work in my writing workshops. I was doing it anyway, so I decided to be more intentional and use the way our brains naturally work to reinforce writing habits.
Don’t look at anything digital for at least an hour after waking up.
Don’t open your computer. Don’t check your phone first thing in the morning. Give yourself time to enter the day without the digital world. There’s science behind this, too. Checking e-mail increases anxiety levels, lowers your productivity and is often a source of incredible frustration.
Imagine waking up. You slept well, but before you even stretch or put a foot on the floor, you’ve already read an irate e-mail from a client. It sucks your energy dry. Who needs it?
Instead, take some deep breaths. Meditate. Take a shower. Write in a gratitude journal or dive into your writing for the day. You’ll be far more creative and much less nervous and distracted.
And while we’re at it, don’t sleep with your phone next to you. The flashing blue lights activate your brain and ruin your sleep cycles.
Start the day with self-care.
I admit I’ve done it often enough, but it’s just not healthy to wake up, slink your unwashed body to your writing desk, write all day, then slump back into bed when you’re done. Shower and dress when you get up. I’m not saying you need to wear a suit but do the basics. Wash your face, brush your teeth, condition your hair if it’s dry like mine. Take care of yourself.
Do something physical.
Root yourself in your body before you use your mind to write. Meditate. Do yoga. Go for a run. Anything that gets you moving, stretches your hands and relaxes your back and neck before you sit down to write. It’ll boost your creativity and prime your body to sit comfortably as you weave words across the page and create new worlds and ideas.
Start your day with a morning ritual.
I begin every day early with a 15-minute meditation. Then I shower, get dressed and do yoga before anyone else in the house is up. I literally do sun salutations as the sun rises. Finally, I make myself a tea or coffee before sitting down to write a gratitude journal.
This series of habits relaxes me and gets me ready to face whatever comes up during the day. It primes my brain to problem solve, work through challenges and generally saves time, shapes your day and reduces stress. What’s not to like about any of that?
So take a coffee by the window. Draw in your journal. Eat well in general, because nothing says “You deserve this” like a well-fed, content body with a relaxed brain and clear plan.
Severely limit social media
It’s falling-off-a-log easy to waste loads of time online. Sometimes it’s fun and connects you to others. This is worthwhile time. Other times, it leaves you anxious and depressed. You create expectations. No one’s reading my new story. You compare yourself to others. She just published something. I haven’t published anything I like in months. You’ll wonder if that thumbs up emoji was meant to be sarcastic.
Ever hear the saying, comparison is the thief of joy? It’s 200% true.
While there may be benefits to social media, limit it anyway. Same with e-mail. They expand to fit the time you have. Your time is precious. Guard it.
Do it now.
If it’s short, if a task takes less than five minutes to complete, don’t wait until later, do it immediately. Can you dash back a quick answer to an e-mail? Then do it when you first get it. Otherwise, short answers pile up quickly until you have too much to do.
