Writer — Is This YOU?
How Hurried Are You?
We live such busy lives, don’t we? We not only live our regular busy lives but we are also writers!
Why should YOU be concerned?
Our society today has definitely increased in speed. We have meals which almost cook themselves, fast food restaurants, express lanes in the grocery store, quick craft patterns for that quick gift and computers and devices which are valued for their speed. No longer do we take the time to send a handwritten note or even have a friendly chat on the phone, we text or email our thoughts, sometimes not even in complete sentences.
We have found that we work MORE hours per week than our grandparents did. Think about it….
Our homes have become larger as we’ve added family rooms, more bedrooms, huge closets and an office. We have more area to care for and, correspondingly, more possessions fill the space to dust, polish, wash, mow and keep in order.
Not only do we work more inside the home, but we work longer hours ‘outside’ the home, especially if we have a home office.
Many hold down a job AND attempt to get their writing career off the ground.
Due to this increased workload (real or perceived), our stress levels go higher and higher until that stress begins to manifest itself in our body with health issues such as infections, heart issues, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, a compromised immune system and burnout — we are affected head to toe, inwardly and outwardly.
We all hurry at one time or another.
We eat a quick dinner so we can run out the door to an evening meeting. We rush ourselves and our children to soccer practice, ballet, trumpet lessons and hockey games. Our project at work was due yesterday. We have a writing deadline to meet with multiple articles to submit.
We find that a once in a while hurried day becomes a part of our character and we become what we never intended to be.
Let’s take a look at YOUR life right now…. Take your time, consider what is being asked and how you really think and feel. Then consider some possible solutions!
Questionnaire for writers:
- Do you rush through your day from writing project to project?
If you rush from project to project, stop when one project is completed. Take a deep breath, walk around, go outside, clear your brain space and consider if and when you should move to your next project on your writing to do list.
2. Do you find yourself unable to relax and enjoy a day off?
If you have difficulty relaxing on your day off and, instead, use your day off to play catch-up, maybe you’ve forgotten what fun looks like! Make a list of relaxing and rejuvenating activities that would bring you pleasure. Then enjoy your day!
3. Do you think you don’t have enough time in the day to get everything completed?
If you think that your work day is too packed to complete everything, PERHAPS IT IS! Review your calendar, set priorities and then do the most important first.
4. Does your mind race ahead to think about what you should do next?
If your mind is racing ahead then you aren’t truly in the present, what are you missing NOW? Pull yourself back to the present by focusing on what is happening NOW.
5. Does your body feel tense?
A tense body is a signal that all is not well. Breathe deeply, relax and slow down. (As I write this, I am so excited about what I’m writing, that I’m ‘uptight’ and know I need to RELAX — for my own good)!
6. Do you see yourself as over-committed and with too many areas of responsibility?
If you see yourself as over-committed, PERHAPS YOU ARE! Begin to lighten the load by learning to say NO — we will discuss this more in a future post.
7. Do you find you are impatient while waiting in line, are on the phone, for Medium to load or a publication to respond?
Use the time waiting to become more aware of what is happening around you. You are being delayed for a reason. Be thankful for the pause.
8. Do you try to do more than one thing at a time?
Of course! Why do we do this to ourselves? Doing one thing at a time and enjoying each can slow our pace and give us room to breathe and think. We may even think of some new writing ideas to ponder.
9. Do you find yourself unable to take, relax and enjoy a vacation?
Instead of using your vacation to do more work or even running to and fro seeking fun, purposefully carve out some quiet spaces of time to be renewed and rejuvenated. Taking a camera along can help you document the quiet spaces you find.
10. Do you find yourself impatient with others who are slower than you are?
If you want a lesson in how to slow down, spend some time with toddlers and the elderly. They can teach us that speed isn’t as important as we think. They value what is important -–hugs, reading a book together and a slow walk around the block.
11. Are you competitive at work and in recreational pursuits?
Teamwork is healthier than a competitive spirit. Let’s leave competitiveness on the tennis court and begin practicing teamwork where it counts — at home and in writing. Although a solitary endeavor, by reading others’ work, we are entering into a wider community than just our own thoughts allow.
The Empty Hands Principle
It is important to keep in mind the Empty Hands Principle (I invented this term for myself).
I must not fill my hands (and head) so full that I don’t have room for one more thing in them. For example, if an editor gives me some feedback with corrections needed, do I become unglued? If God gives me a task to do which isn’t on my schedule, do I have time to do it or are my hands too full? Let’s always leave some space each day for the unexpected!
“If we really have too much to do, there are some items on the agenda which God did not put there. Let us submit the list to Him and ask Him to indicate which items we must delete. There is always time to do the will of God. If we are too busy to do that, we are too busy.”
— Elisabeth Elliot
If you want to slow your pace, solutions must be used diligently and consistently in order to remedy each area you identify as hurried and full of stress.
“If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask him, and he will gladly tell you, for he is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask him; he will not resent it.” James 1:5 TLB
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