Wading Through Life…
It’s spring here in the South. Everyone focuses on the new flowers, but it can be a mix here with severe thunderstorms and tornadoes thrown around every couple of weeks. This year, as my daughter and I prepare for another round of “can we actually grow something—for real”, I find myself fascinated by all the seeds she’s bought. She’s so excited by the potential of their growth and what will happen as they come to fruition.
The potential to take something from an idea (a tiny seed in a paper pouch) to the thing it can become when given the love and right conditions to flourish IS exciting. We haven’t had great success with our potted plant garden, except for okra. We grew a lot of that last year! [heart emoji] But its exciting to know that it can happen!
It takes a lot of energy to bring projects to their fullest potential. For plants, it's lots of water, the right soil, sometimes additives or sprays for bugs, and making sure you pick the fruit before it gets too ripe (oops!).
For my new series, it’s been the idea, planning and plotting, drafting, editing, and now publishing. The entire process has taken me 3 years, which at times made me feel like I wasn’t accomplishing anything. Kind of like those weeks between when you plant a seed and when the sprout actually shows up.
But seeing the first fruits now is one of the most exciting things I’ve ever done! I hope you enjoy going along with me on the journey. Soon I will have a cover to share!!
How does your garden usually grow? Do you have a green thumb? Or is it hit or miss (like me)?
Take care,
Dani
Something that caught my eye…
My daughter went to a tulip farm nearby—absolutely gorgeous. We’re so lucky the freeze didn’t stop them from blooming. And we had a beautiful bouquet in the house for a week. Wading Through Life...
In my day job, I’ve always worked at full throttle. I’ve always been expected to. A To Do list a mile long and constant questions and interruptions. Someone always looking over your shoulder, judging. And I was raised to believe meeting this challenge was a sign of a hard worker. Complaining would be a sign of laziness. Sometimes that busy pace helped the day go quicker; some days, not so much… Recent changes mean that I’m currently in a slower time. How long that will last remains to be seen. But for now, my days at my new job are happening at a much slower pace. Great, right? Not always. I think our brains can get used to that fast pace and pushing to keep up. Even while you know it isn’t good for you and not a healthy way of operating 24/7. I know I had begun to have difficulty powering down at night. Or I would shut down to complete inactivity (which should have been a huge sign to me that something wasn’t right.) My new job is slower paced, but the restless, anxious, “I must be wrong because every second isn’t packed with something waiting” feeling won’t go away. That’s when I realized…I don’t know how to downshift. Everyone tells you to just breathe>>but I don’t actually know how. 😊 It isn’t just a matter of getting your body to slow down (i.e. stop running on adrenaline). The problem is the BRAIN. It feels like if I just exited an 80 mph interstate and found myself on a 30 mph backroad. My brain keeps searching for the speed, even though it’s no longer necessary.
I know a lot of people view this as a good problem to have—me included—but its not one I’ve encountered before.
Creativity requires a slower, meandering mindset, like a Sunday drive…until it latches on to the idea it wants to pursue. But I think its easier when you start from the more exploratory mindset.
But I haven’t been on that easy back road on a daily basis in years. Even writing retreats, when I was able to have them, required some time to get back into a slower mindset.
So now I’m brainstorming some ways to get my brain to slow down on the regular. I want to boost the environment that will in turn encourage my creativity. But I believe it will take some training! Here's some ideas:
- Schedule in some daydreaming time. I find myself constantly searching for something to distract me—SM, music, something to read—not good! I think some “thinking time” is in order, even if I can only do 5 minutes at a time.
- Walking in nature—I’m hoping the weather cools soon so I can do this.
- Journal—I used to call this a “brain dump”. It often helps me to get racing thoughts out of my brain. I need to do this more often!
- Cut down on communicating—my environment has allowed me to already do this. Less emails, calls, people coming by.
- Lower consumption of TV, internet, etc. Also doing this. No wifi access at work, so less lunchtime binging.
- Relaxation activities, like meditation, breathing. Already doing this, but working to ramp it up.
- Distract myself with something fun, like trip planning (see last blog for more on this) or getting together with friends or planning regular date nights.
Wading Through Life...
Party Planning has begun! At least, a party for 2! No, not that kind…I’m knee deep in planning a girls’ weekend with my daughter. At the end of the month, we will be immersing ourselves in the history, beauty, and spooky atmosphere that is Salem, MA. I’m sure y’all will hear more than you ever wanted to know about my trip. 😊 Lots of pics and musings about that in the near future.
In the meantime, I want to talk about planning and mental health. I’m not sure if its my writer's imagination or just my natural planning nature (I’m a planner girl through and through!), but the excitement is kicked up a notch when I’m planning something that’s actually fun.
Maybe this is obvious to everyone else, but for a long time I’ve been immersed in the minutiae of my weekly schedule. Chores, work schedule, appointments, and all kinds of tasks…none of it FUN.
Pssstttt…. I’m not really good at planning enjoyable things for myself. Just the details of life that need to be organized and taken care of…
But looking at the possibilities for this trip (things to do, places to eat, what we will see) and my excitement has been a big boost to my mental health. I have something to look forward to, daydream about, and enjoy the thought of.
Those things that give you that kick of excitement and energy you don’t get from the daily grind.
I’d forgotten that.
Which means I need to start planning more fun things for myself! Uh oh. I’m not a natural in this arena (see whole explanation above…). 😊
I may need some help here. What are your favorite plans to look forward to? Big ones like trips? Small ones like a date night?
I’d love to hear your suggestions!
Take care,
Dani
Haunted Heritage
It's almost time for Spooky Season! My favorite time of year. Here's one of my Secrets of Covington Corner novellas to get you in the appropriate spooky mood!
She’d prepared to be flooded in during the storm, alone…she didn’t plan on being stranded in a haunted house with him.
With an antebellum home to protect, Olivia doesn’t waste any time in her preparations. She’d promised her employer she would take care of the place while she was in the hospital. No power and no exit route is par for the course this far from town.
But her plans didn’t include a sexy PI who seems intent on digging into her employer’s every secret. Isolated by rising flood waters, Olivia can’t get away from his questions or the heated attraction he evokes. Still she can’t shake the feeling he’s hiding something.
Will the old trunk in the attic reveal a new kind of storm? Will his investigation into a long lost heir destroy the very love they’ve both been longing for? Find out HERE!
Novellas in Secrets of Covington Corner series in order:
Shadow Manor
Haunted Heritage
Dark Destiny
Holiday Storm
It Caught My Eye...
I'm so ready for Fall! It just started cooling down here in the South, but I know better than to trust it. We will have second summer soon. I'm just praying for more than 2 weeks of autumn's cool breezes before winter kicks in...
It’s hard to feel inspired and connect to creativity during hard times. We’ve all seen that in the past year. But it’s just as hard during busy or chaotic times when other things in your life have to take precedence.
Combine the two and being creative can be nigh to impossible.
I haven’t posted about this a lot because I hate to be all “doom and gloom” for y’all (that would expose my natural Eeyore tendencies a little too much!). Besides, we’ve got enough of that going on every day.
But I’ve definitely struggled with my depression, doing two positions for the price of one at the day job, health issues, and renovating our garage over the last year. I’ve completely lost touch with my creative side and words are ephemeral right now.
As we move into the fall season in the US, I find myself longing for that connection once more and the chance to rejuvenate my creativity. But this takes purposeful choices (I know this from past experience).
Here are a few of the choices I’m making right now. Hopefully by sharing I can inspire you to reconnect with your creative, dreaming side too.
**Rest
Yes, this is the opposite of doing something, but it is a choice to be made.
I’m not just talking about sleep (though I personally love a nap!), but just slowing down, reducing the number of obligations I have, letting my mind wander, and leaving time in my life unplanned.
**Cleaning
What?!?!
I know y’all think I’m crazy, but this is totally true for me. When life gets hectic, my house/office/car/yard gets totally cluttered!
It’s hard to relax with all that stuff staring me in the face. While I don’t have time for a major declutter, working on some “hot spots” definitely helps with my mood and feeling like I have at least some control in the midst of chaos.
**Explore/Discovery
This is more about refilling my well and awakening my curiosity than actually accomplishing something (a big driver in my day-to-day activities). For me, this can be an intellectual pursuit like reading articles about subjects I want to learn more about or just watching videos about random stuff (I have a morbid fascination with creepy/scary/tragic things so will sometimes binge Youtube channels like Ask a Mortician).
But it’s also about physically exploring! Personally I like to get out in nature, whether its walking on campus or hiking nearby trails. But this might also mean wandering a local craft store, meandering through an antique mall, or braving a new restaurant.
**Pampering myself
I hesitate to call this “self-care” because all of the pursuits in this blog fall under that label for me. But I am trying to purposefully make time to do things I love that make me feel good right then, that I don’t often make time for!
A long soak in a hot bath. A night with the family around the fire pit roasting marshmallows. Putting out my seasonal decorations. Puttering around in my flower beds. Yes, I actually have to give myself permission to do something that’s fun, that doesn’t normally fall on my To Do list.
There are other things I’m working toward, like giving myself permission to just brainstorm, writing long hand, researching my story/characters without putting pressure on myself to log in words…but those are specific to my writing practice. While I long to put words on the page once more, I want to reawaken the creative side of my whole being!
I hope this was inspiring to you if you also struggle, or at least gave you some insight into my process as a creative. I’d love to hear how you reconnect with your creative side during trying times. Comment below or send me an email with your tips!
Take care,
Dani
readdaniwade@gmail.com
**Rest
Yes, this is the opposite of doing something, but it is a choice to be made.
I’m not just talking about sleep (though I personally love a nap!), but just slowing down, reducing the number of obligations I have, letting my mind wander, and leaving time in my life unplanned.
**Cleaning
What?!?!
I know y’all think I’m crazy, but this is totally true for me. When life gets hectic, my house/office/car/yard gets totally cluttered!
It’s hard to relax with all that stuff staring me in the face. While I don’t have time for a major declutter, working on some “hot spots” definitely helps with my mood and feeling like I have at least some control in the midst of chaos.
**Explore/Discovery
This is more about refilling my well and awakening my curiosity than actually accomplishing something (a big driver in my day-to-day activities). For me, this can be an intellectual pursuit like reading articles about subjects I want to learn more about or just watching videos about random stuff (I have a morbid fascination with creepy/scary/tragic things so will sometimes binge Youtube channels like Ask a Mortician).
But it’s also about physically exploring! Personally I like to get out in nature, whether its walking on campus or hiking nearby trails. But this might also mean wandering a local craft store, meandering through an antique mall, or braving a new restaurant.
**Pampering myself
I hesitate to call this “self-care” because all of the pursuits in this blog fall under that label for me. But I am trying to purposefully make time to do things I love that make me feel good right then, that I don’t often make time for!
A long soak in a hot bath. A night with the family around the fire pit roasting marshmallows. Putting out my seasonal decorations. Puttering around in my flower beds. Yes, I actually have to give myself permission to do something that’s fun, that doesn’t normally fall on my To Do list.
There are other things I’m working toward, like giving myself permission to just brainstorm, writing long hand, researching my story/characters without putting pressure on myself to log in words…but those are specific to my writing practice. While I long to put words on the page once more, I want to reawaken the creative side of my whole being!
I hope this was inspiring to you if you also struggle, or at least gave you some insight into my process as a creative. I’d love to hear how you reconnect with your creative side during trying times. Comment below or send me an email with your tips!
Take care,
Dani
readdaniwade@gmail.com
The best laid plans…often go awry… Robert Burns
I’m definitely a planner. I’ve talked about this often. I do a lot of scheduling, lists, goals, etc., for both my every day life and my creative life too.
But many times I don’t take into account how outside forces/life happenings/family needs/many other things can affect or halt those plans. I’ll admit, I’m not good at “going with the flow”, so these types of things often derail me.
My goal for the early part of this year was to get my new series started, specifically write the first of my contemporary gothic books. I knew my day job was going to ramp up, because my colleague retired and I would take on her job until we hired a replacement, but in true Dani-fashion, I reasoned I could do it all somehow.
But the strain of the pandemic on our family and doing a job I had to learn and do took its toll. Every evening, my brain was so tired it simply could not create (or do much of anything else).
So I spent a few weeks beating myself up for my lack of productivity (outside of the day job) before coming to my senses. Here’s what I started to tell myself INSTEAD:
But the strain of the pandemic on our family and doing a job I had to learn and do took its toll. Every evening, my brain was so tired it simply could not create (or do much of anything else).
So I spent a few weeks beating myself up for my lack of productivity (outside of the day job) before coming to my senses. Here’s what I started to tell myself INSTEAD:
- Sometimes, you can’t do it all.
- Sometimes, forcing yourself to do something doesn’t produce your best work.
- Sometimes, you have to set goals aside for a season and come back to them when you can.
- Sometimes, the “dig deep” button is not worth resurrecting. (Brene Brown)
My daughter made this for me…she created it from a pot she painted for her succulent, so it could travel to college with her. Except, when we arrived, I knocked the pot off the seat of the car and broke it.
I feel so much like this little pot sometimes. A mistake that just can’t be fixed, no matter how much effort I put into it. The cracks will always show. My struggle with depression is ongoing—but I use the term “struggle” in a positive way. I’m not giving in! I see a therapist, practice yoga and recently downloaded the Calm app to help me with mindfulness and overactive brain.
Then my daughter gave me this gift and it helped me to see things in a new light.
Yes, this pot was broken, but she created something beautiful from it. New life is being nurtured. Continued growth. A precious creation…no matter how small.
I think I have a new goal. 😊 How about you?
Take care of yourself,
Dani
Download my newest release, SHADOW MANOR, a contemporary gothic novella for only 99 cents today!
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ADD TO YOUR GOODREADS TBR SHELF! It’s July 2020…if your life was a literal story, what would you make of it?
I’ll admit, we all have some scary scenarios right now. It might be boring, lonely, anxiety-inducing, a struggle…but in 6 months, where do you want to be?
This is the question I’m trying to ask myself.
We’re halfway through 2020, and its been a rough one. I don’t need to go into details for all of us to know that. But I do find myself re-examining, re-evaluating in a similar way to what I do every January. Taking stock of where I am, and where I want to be. I’m sure part of it has to do with my birthday being in June. Plus, I’m a natural overthinker—that doesn’t help!
This could be a good thing, though. It helps me center myself and zero in on where I’m going, despite whatever chaos is happening in my life at the moment. And let’s just say chaos has been abundant this year…am I right?
But often that chaos makes me feel like life is happening to me. And every so often I need the reminder that life is what I make it. What I dream it can be—if I will just stop and think about how to get there despite whatever roadblocks are in the way.
It might not even be something big. That step in the right direction may be a little thing that grows with time. It’s just up to me to take a step in the right direction.
For me, right now, that means focusing down on something small that will bring me a boost in motivation and focus. At the moment, that’s my health. My exercise routine got seriously disrupted when I started working from home. So I’m working toward exercising in some way 5 days a week. My other big priority is my writing. My gothic novella series is coming along! The first two are done, and I’m writing the third. These start releasing in August. Each day I’m just trying to either plot or write or dictate, even if its only for half an hour. Every bit of progress helps me feel productive and boosts my creativity.
It feels good. And that helps me feel happy in the midst of chaos.
What small steps are you writing into your life to make the last half of 2020 worth reading? What are you writing out of your life to bring back your joy?
I’d love to talk about it! Comment below or connect with me on Facebook!
Take care,
Dani
I have a really bad habit.
It’s one that encourages exactly the opposite behaviors of the prolific, productive writer/human I want to be.
I focus on what I haven’t gotten done, instead of focusing on what’s on my schedule, what I have time for, or what I’ve already accomplished. The spotlight only shines on What I Haven’t Done…
That’s so sad.
How often do we do this to ourselves? I’ll never build energy to move forward by beating myself up over the unfinished items in my wake. And that’s what I need—energy and momentum to go forth and conquer. (one of my life mottos!)
This year I’ve begun working with a Kanban board, which has seriously helped my productivity and attitude. In January, when I was taking the items down to start on February’s tasks, I automatically carried all the old sticky notes to the trash can. After all, I didn’t need them anymore, right?
Wrong!
At the last minute, I paused. In my hand were over a dozen things I had done in January. I HAD ACCOMPLISHED these things. And let me tell ya, over the last year, I’ve been pretty paralyzed, especially in the marketing arena. Getting these things done was a huge step for me and something I should acknowledge. Hell, celebrate even!
Rather than throw them away like trash, I took these precious reminders of my forward momentum and put them in this simple basket. Then I marked them as DONE.
To others, this might not be important or necessary, but for me its becoming more important on a daily basis to STOP beating myself up over what I didn’t do, ant START acknowledging the things I did do, did make time for, did accomplish.
Because those things are damn hard in my busy world, and that makes me a kick-ass author and person!
How do you celebrate your DONE?
Dani
Rather than throw them away like trash, I took these precious reminders of my forward momentum and put them in this simple basket. Then I marked them as DONE.
To others, this might not be important or necessary, but for me its becoming more important on a daily basis to STOP beating myself up over what I didn’t do, ant START acknowledging the things I did do, did make time for, did accomplish.
Because those things are damn hard in my busy world, and that makes me a kick-ass author and person!
How do you celebrate your DONE?
Dani
I have a confession to make: I’m not a reader.
Let me clarify: I used to be a reader. But between the day job, struggling to get words, and overwhelming stress, I lost my love of it somewhere. Every time I thought about picking up a book, I just turned away.
Then I took a class called Write Better Faster by Becca Syme in an attempt to break through my writer’s block. There I learned about my top 5 Strengths (Clifton Strengths testing). Lo and behold—all of them had to do with INPUT. Basically, my brain runs off of learning things. I have a craving for knowledge and am rejuvenated by the learning process.
Except I’d stopped that process in its tracks by not reading much at all. The occasional non-fiction book or magazine was the only exception. No wonder my brain has basically stopped working!
After taking Becca’s class, I started making an effort to read more, but it was haphazard. I would start fiction books, but not be able to finish them, no matter how interesting they were. I had better luck with non-fiction, which I could let sit for a few days, then come back to them and eventually finish. I’m not entirely sure why this was so hard, but I have a few suspicions.
I’ve started my non-fiction goal with Paused to Prolific by K Webster. This is a new release that dovetails nicely with my own focus issues. It is designed to help you “write faster, stay focused, and avoid burnout”. I found it very easy to digest because the chapters are short and tightly focused, with a “coffee break” at the end to help brainstorm ideas for taking the information and putting it into practice. Webster has a conversational, humorous style that helped me relate well to the information, and I’ll never look at a squirrel the same again!
What kind of reading goals do you set for yourself? Are they formal goals, or just lists of books you’d like to read?
Dani
Then I took a class called Write Better Faster by Becca Syme in an attempt to break through my writer’s block. There I learned about my top 5 Strengths (Clifton Strengths testing). Lo and behold—all of them had to do with INPUT. Basically, my brain runs off of learning things. I have a craving for knowledge and am rejuvenated by the learning process.
Except I’d stopped that process in its tracks by not reading much at all. The occasional non-fiction book or magazine was the only exception. No wonder my brain has basically stopped working!
After taking Becca’s class, I started making an effort to read more, but it was haphazard. I would start fiction books, but not be able to finish them, no matter how interesting they were. I had better luck with non-fiction, which I could let sit for a few days, then come back to them and eventually finish. I’m not entirely sure why this was so hard, but I have a few suspicions.
- The issues going on in my brain related to the writer’s block made it extremely difficult to focus. What little “focus power” I had went to my day job and writing tasks, so there wasn’t much left for something I viewed as less important: the reading (boy, did I have that backwards).
- There is an idea I’ve been dedicated to for years: refilling the well. But until this very stressful time, I didn’t put it into practice with as much dedication as I should have. Then again, I didn’t know that part of what I needed to fill that well was knowledge! We often think of refilling our wells, or “self-care”, as things like taking baths and having our nails done. But our strengths give us certain needs that, when fulfilled, renew our energy and our enthusiasm far faster than anything else could. I’ve experienced this first hand!
I’ve started my non-fiction goal with Paused to Prolific by K Webster. This is a new release that dovetails nicely with my own focus issues. It is designed to help you “write faster, stay focused, and avoid burnout”. I found it very easy to digest because the chapters are short and tightly focused, with a “coffee break” at the end to help brainstorm ideas for taking the information and putting it into practice. Webster has a conversational, humorous style that helped me relate well to the information, and I’ll never look at a squirrel the same again!
What kind of reading goals do you set for yourself? Are they formal goals, or just lists of books you’d like to read?
Dani
#PlannerAddict
I didn’t realize until recently that this was a thing… I’ve been a planner, a creator of To Do, lists my entire life. I’ve enjoyed videos by Sara Cannon on Heart Breathings (check out her YouTube channel!) about her planners and use of the Kanban board, which I’ve recently adopted in a modified form. I also look through Passion Planner videos, as that is the type of planner I use.
I think planning people have a compulsion to write things down. I used to think this was because I was a writer. Now I know that it’s three-fold: both the writing aspect and the control aspect and the brain-dump aspect. Shocking! (not for anyone who knows me personally…)
I’m never without a pen and paper; this is always the first thing I reach for when I need to remember something. Typing doesn’t do it for me. Physically writing things down seems to cement them in my brain for some reason. Instead of reaching for that ephemeral thought, it’s like being able to easily find the place I stored it and revisit it (anyone seen the movie Dreamcatcher?). So using a computer or electronic calendar doesn’t really help me as much as creating a physical plan. I only use the calendar in my phone so that it will send me alerts for appointments…shameful in this day and age, I know!
My husband will attest to the fact that I’m a control freak…with a little more enthusiasm than I am comfortable with. 😊 Just like the compulsion to plan out my books to ensure I don’t forget something, I need to plan out my life to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. It still happens, but I feel much more comfortable knowing that I at least tried.
Which leads to the next part: I’m juggling a full-time day job, a husband on a retail schedule for his job, two teenagers with their own activities, and a writing career (and extended family, friends, chores… it never ends). That’s an overwhelming amount of minutiae to keep up with. And while some might say that’s not completely my job, my personality won’t let me delegate it to someone else. I’m a control-freak, as I established above…but I simply can’t keep it all stuffed in my brain. The busier we are and the older I get, the more things that fall by the wayside. I do my best to simplify and oust unnecessary time wasters so we can meet our obligations and still have down time, but frankly, my brain has more important things to do than keeping up with when my next doctor’s appointment is. I’d rather write it down and forget about it until it shows up on my planner.
Most recently, I discovered something new about planning: it can be pretty and fun! Before I was a writer, and no longer had time for many hobbies, I used to scrapbook. I really enjoyed it, but was overwhelmed by the years of pictures that I couldn’t keep up with. But I’ve found that I can use my planner to do something similar. I can decorate it with pretty and inspirational stickers. Instead of writing down a doctor’s appointment, I can put a pretty tag there. I can indulge my pen obsession by trying out different colors and types.
But I can also fill in gratitude lists…memories from special days…photos of special events…and quotes that inspire me. On days when I’m discouraged over my word count, I can look back over my progress the last few months. I mark down each marketing task I complete so I remember that I’ve done something towards connecting with my readers. I go back and notate sick days so I don’t think all those blank hours were because I was just flaky…no, I had a reason I couldn’t do anything today (it’s easy to forget and blame ourselves, right?).
So, even though being a #PlannerAddict might seem like a trendy thing, I’m finding it essential to not just productivity and planning, but for my own positive mental health.
What about you? Do you use a planner? Apps? How do you keep up with life?
Dani
I didn’t realize until recently that this was a thing… I’ve been a planner, a creator of To Do, lists my entire life. I’ve enjoyed videos by Sara Cannon on Heart Breathings (check out her YouTube channel!) about her planners and use of the Kanban board, which I’ve recently adopted in a modified form. I also look through Passion Planner videos, as that is the type of planner I use.
I think planning people have a compulsion to write things down. I used to think this was because I was a writer. Now I know that it’s three-fold: both the writing aspect and the control aspect and the brain-dump aspect. Shocking! (not for anyone who knows me personally…)
I’m never without a pen and paper; this is always the first thing I reach for when I need to remember something. Typing doesn’t do it for me. Physically writing things down seems to cement them in my brain for some reason. Instead of reaching for that ephemeral thought, it’s like being able to easily find the place I stored it and revisit it (anyone seen the movie Dreamcatcher?). So using a computer or electronic calendar doesn’t really help me as much as creating a physical plan. I only use the calendar in my phone so that it will send me alerts for appointments…shameful in this day and age, I know!
My husband will attest to the fact that I’m a control freak…with a little more enthusiasm than I am comfortable with. 😊 Just like the compulsion to plan out my books to ensure I don’t forget something, I need to plan out my life to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. It still happens, but I feel much more comfortable knowing that I at least tried.
Which leads to the next part: I’m juggling a full-time day job, a husband on a retail schedule for his job, two teenagers with their own activities, and a writing career (and extended family, friends, chores… it never ends). That’s an overwhelming amount of minutiae to keep up with. And while some might say that’s not completely my job, my personality won’t let me delegate it to someone else. I’m a control-freak, as I established above…but I simply can’t keep it all stuffed in my brain. The busier we are and the older I get, the more things that fall by the wayside. I do my best to simplify and oust unnecessary time wasters so we can meet our obligations and still have down time, but frankly, my brain has more important things to do than keeping up with when my next doctor’s appointment is. I’d rather write it down and forget about it until it shows up on my planner.
Most recently, I discovered something new about planning: it can be pretty and fun! Before I was a writer, and no longer had time for many hobbies, I used to scrapbook. I really enjoyed it, but was overwhelmed by the years of pictures that I couldn’t keep up with. But I’ve found that I can use my planner to do something similar. I can decorate it with pretty and inspirational stickers. Instead of writing down a doctor’s appointment, I can put a pretty tag there. I can indulge my pen obsession by trying out different colors and types.
But I can also fill in gratitude lists…memories from special days…photos of special events…and quotes that inspire me. On days when I’m discouraged over my word count, I can look back over my progress the last few months. I mark down each marketing task I complete so I remember that I’ve done something towards connecting with my readers. I go back and notate sick days so I don’t think all those blank hours were because I was just flaky…no, I had a reason I couldn’t do anything today (it’s easy to forget and blame ourselves, right?).
So, even though being a #PlannerAddict might seem like a trendy thing, I’m finding it essential to not just productivity and planning, but for my own positive mental health.
What about you? Do you use a planner? Apps? How do you keep up with life?
Dani