In many ways, I’ve been stalled this month. As I said in a post or two ago, it’s still busy for us even though the holidays are over, but today marks what I hope to be a “return to normal.” No more birthdays until May, so it’s nose to the grindstone.
Even as I say that, though, I’m still dragging. I’m tired and unmotivated, even though I have a deadline to play with. Just the thought of getting up at 5 AM makes me want to curl into a ball and hibernate! I just can’t get as excited about this story as I should be. On paper, it looks good. It’s got several really cool elements to play with. But my mind is disengaged from the words.
So I’m gradually rolling back my wake-up time. Last week, I got up just early enough to be the first one up and get the coffee made before the oldest needed to be up (her school starts an hour ahead of her sisters’ school). This week, I’m waking up 15 mins earlier than that. Plus, I’m going to get back into the habit of prepping the coffee pot the night before, which should shave 5-10 minutes off my morning routine. (I could program it to brew automatically, and I might do that at some point. I just hate the thought of wasting coffee if my alarm doesn’t go off.)
I’ve also been exercising more consistently this month, which I hope will eventually increase my energy.
Lastly, I’m working on morning pages again ala Julia Cameron. I don’t always do them first thing (since I’ve not been able to get up early enough), but I’ve been writing in my journal a page or two each day, working on rebuilding that connection in my mind. Words, I need words!
In the end, I may not meet the deadline, but I’m not going to stop pushing on this novella. It has some really cool elements, even if my sleepy hibernating side poo-poos it in favor of going back to bed!
Setting that coffee pot is helping pull me from bed with the smell of brewing coffee drifting up the stairs :sigh:
Tried the morning pages — for about 3 days — will try again, someday. Really, really need to fit exercise into my schedule. Good for you!
What’s morning pages? I don’t think I’ve heard of it.
Sherri, I might try brewing coffee in advance — maybe the smell will wake me up!
Willa, morning pages are recommended by Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way. Journaling three pages each day helps feed your artist and purge the nasty emotions that can block you. I don’t always remember or feel like doing them, but I thought the daily habit would help. Even if I’m nowhere near writing 3 pages! For one thing, that would kill my hand. For another, I just don’t have that much to say write now.
LOL, killing the hand, heck yeah! I think I have a note 3/4 of the way down on each of those 3 days worth of morning pages, “Crap my hand is killing me!” 😆