Jump Off The Hamster Wheel
I am addicted to productivity. There. I admitted it. I’m either making a list of things I need to accomplish. Actually doing things I need to accomplish. Checking off things I’ve accomplished…or feeling guilty over not doing the very things I should accomplish.  😊 My therapist told me I needed to work on letting go of all this. Anyone else there with me? So when I planned my writing retreat for this month, I though it would be just like all the other writing retreats I’ve been on. The goal has always been to get as many words as humanly possible during the period of time while I’m gone. After all, how else can I justify spending that time away from my family and using my precious PTO from the day job? Titled retreat time with pictures of a house, a fountain, and seating area for writing But that’s not how it actually worked out this time. I did get writing done…but this time I actually spent time doing, well, nothing. And I’m not a nothing kind of girl!!! But my brain simply wouldn’t focus on the story. Or at least, not the writing of it. I did some planning. I did some plotting. But none of it was measured by productivity. And that was a little weird, to be honest. Usually my brain is going 90 to nothing. So I found this disconcerting but possibly a step in the right direction. A chance to let my brain work out whatever it needed to. And it helped me come home with a better perspective on some things. A determination to enjoy the small things (which isn’t easy for me, but I’m trying). I guess all of that quiet, thinking time just reinforced some of the things I’ve been trying to come to grips with over the last few months. white hamster on a hamster wheel I’ve been pretty open about my struggles with mental health this year, hoping that others will realize they aren’t alone and we can all help each other. How do you help quiet your mind? What’s your favorite fun thing that gets your brain off the hamster wheel?   Take care, Dani Don't forget to check out my Secrets of Covington Corner series! HAUNTED HERITAGE is out this month! Amazon B&N Kobo Apple books Goodreads--Add To Your TBR List!
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Mending the Broken Pieces
Green plant growing from top of broken clay pot   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 Cover of Shadow Manor, Title, young woman in ball gown with lights behind her Download my newest release, SHADOW MANOR, a contemporary gothic novella for only 99 cents today! Amazon Barnes & Noble Apple Books Kobo ADD TO YOUR GOODREADS TBR SHELF!
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What’s Your Story?

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?

"We all have a story to tell, whether we whisper or yell" ~He is We

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

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Are You Done?
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
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