I’m Challenging YOU - “Re-boot” and Get Your Life Back

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How many hours a day, a week, a month do you spend on your  computer?  I’m sure the grand total could be quite staggering.  You may argue you’re a writer and you need it to do your work.

I’m going to ask you another question, how much of the time spent on your computer is actually dedicated to your craft--writing, researching and editing?  When you begin analyzing things you may realize a lot is spent on social networking or marketing, and yes, these are necessary. 

But, I’m going to give you a challenge.  This weekend, or in the next few days, cut that time back in half, or more.  Turn the internet and computer off for an entire day if you dare.  If you’re like me, you spend large chunks of time working on the weekend, and this is after going out to a day job during the week.  We’re not even going to talk about what my house looks like.

And don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we should take days off our writing on a regular basis, but we all need a “re-boot”.  For me, this came recently when I took a trip to the country.  You see, there was no Wi-Fi connection, in fact, I never even brought my computer!  Yes, I was living on the edge.

I stayed in a lakeside cottage at Lake on the Mountain Resort.  Not sure if you’ve heard of it, if you haven’t no big deal.  Let’s just say it’s a five hour drive from my home, but it was so worth the trip!

Besides being a part of my sister’s wedding, and being re-united with my two nieces, I learned a lot about myself.  Most of these were personal revelations, which I won’t be sharing on this blog, but trust me when I say the country helped me re-discover the “truth” in many facets.   One of which is how important it is to take time out for me, and not just because I’m on holidays a certain week or day, but it has to be part of my regular existence.  (I will share more of these “truths” in upcoming posts.)

So here’s my advice to all of you:  simplify.

Yes, it’s true we have a business to run as an indie, or self-published writer, but it will be of no advantage if we burn ourselves out.  We may never discover the greatest novel inside of us.  We also don’t do our fellow authors a favor by tiring ourselves out to the point we find it hard to support them as we should.  And this doesn’t even bring family into the equation.  They need us too.

Some Ways to Re-boot (after getting off your computer):

1)  Go for a walk.

2)  Go to a local park, sit on a park bench and people watch.

3)  If you have water nearby, seat on the edge and listen to the water lap against the shoreline.  If it’s a river, watch it flow downstream over rocks, and look for wildlife on the edges.

4)  Establish personal time for thinking and meditation.

5)  Immerse yourself in a park-like setting and think about...nothing.  Yep, that’s right.  If you’re like I was, in a rustic environment this happened naturally for me.  I’m sure if anyone noticed me they would think I was contemplating the purpose in life...yeah, nope, nothing at all.  (very unlike me)

6)  Bring a water feature to your back yard, or patio.  There’s something about listening to water trickle.

7)  Get yourself a fire pit and let yourself become mesmerized by the flames.

8)  Make an attempt at gardening.

By taking time out for you, you’ll discover your greatest potential. 

Well, I'm off to try number 8.   Have a great one!

This is a flower from my backyard...
I hope I can keep him looking this good.




Comments

  1. DanaJune 9, 2012 at 12:01 PM

    Great post, Carolyn! I think all of us can use some time away once in a while. Thanks for the reminder!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carolyn ArnoldJune 9, 2012 at 9:05 PM

      Sometimes it's hard to remember this, and we can feel guilty when we step away.

      Delete
  2. kJune 9, 2012 at 1:40 PM

    I totally agree. In fact I'm going to take some time tomorrow and go to a car show.
    Have a great weekend Carolyn!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Helen HansonJune 9, 2012 at 3:45 PM

    Lovely flowers . . . mine are brown

    ReplyDelete
  4. Caleb PirtleJune 10, 2012 at 8:00 AM

    Great advice. We try to relax, venture off into the great beyond, and try to re-boot our energy. Then about an hour later, I'm having a guilty conscience. I think about a scene I need to write, a blog idea that fascinates me, the list of great blogs on Triberr that I'm not sending out into my little corner of the virtual universe. And I long to get back in the saddle. I have, sad to say, reached the point where my computer to me is like the blanket was to Linus.

    ReplyDelete
  5. M. E. FrancoJune 11, 2012 at 1:38 PM

    I think this is essential. Even writing seems to get pushed to the back burner once the whole promo machine gets going. It seems like social networking (especially Twitter) moves so fast that I feel like I need to keep up. The truth is, I will never be able to keep up. I was taking precious time away from my family, and not for writing. I make an effort to minimize my time on the computer on the weekends, so I can spend more time with my family and friends. What a difference :)

    ReplyDelete

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