I’ve been posting blogs, huh? Are y’all surprised? lol…
I’ve been spending a bit of time unplugged lately. Since the holidays, at least. Very little television, and at times very little interaction online, etc… It’s not much, or not as much as I’d like to do, but it’s something. It’s a chance to recharge my brain. It might not seem like it, but it helps me write, focus, work…better. And didn’t I say I wanted that this year? Some days sure, it seems I’m online all the time, but there are other days it seems I’m invisible altogether.
I spend time crocheting, organizing/decluttering, cooking, playing board games with my family, connecting with them, writing long hand in a notebook.
It helps to step away. My brain is always thinking, always working, but unplugging let’s me think in a different way, a more deliberate way.
For instance, yesterday I had to walk away from my WIP because it took a turn I hadn’t planned on. I paced for a bit, thinking I’d return to it immediately, but I didn’t. Things came to me though, much later… And I’ll be ready to work on it here in a bit.
Yes, there’s more to my work than writing, but right now, writing is it when there’s a problem in the WIP. Other writers work different, this is me. Not right or wrong, just me.
Unplugging. Walking away. Doing something completely different, works. Letting my brain relax and recharge eases the stress and keeps me loving what I do. It won’t make me rich or put me on the New York Times best seller list, but it might keep me healthier, less stressed, happier, and enjoying right now a little more, for a little longer.
~lissa
Great advice! I need to do that myself but I can’t seem to drag myself away at the moment.
Awesome advice. It’s good to get away from the glowing screens and just let your eyes and your brain recharge.
I’ve just begun to crochet in the last month or so. For a variety of reasons, really, but mostly to relax, create, and work the muscles in my hands in ways different from all the typing. I just finished my first scarf! Perfect timing, what with all of these cold fronts. ^_^