So, here are my thoughts while taking a break.
First, a little background. I took a two weeks long break from publishing, but I didn’t stop writing. I wrote every day, just like I’ve been doing since August.
But when I took this break, few things happened. First, my brain constantly demanded that I publish something. Even if I took a day off from writing, (I believe nothing is wrong with that,) it demanded that I write something.
Apart from that, this has been going on since I have began writing. Each moment I observe, each thing I experience. I constantly evaluate it in the back of my head, to see how I can spin it off into a blog post.
I often heard how people say that you work differently when you’ve got personal interest, as opposed to working for someone else. Never have I experienced that feeling so clearly. I don’t think I would have thought about writing so much, if I were to be working for someone else.
It also doesn’t help that I’m a workaholic, ever since my school days. If a subject interested me, I’ll study it day and night, and make careful notes. But if it didn’t interest me, I’ll just do the bare minimum.
Overall, I believe that the break from publishing, (Not from writing,) did me good.
But I’m not going through that again, for at least next six or so months, if I can help it.
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I’m proud you continued to write every day
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I’ll be honest here. It is not easy. sometimes, the mood is demanding that you just don’t write, sometimes, the body itself protests. But I still continue on, because if I let it lapse for one day, then it’ll result in the wasted effort.
Sundays are off though, no matter how much I want to write, or whether someone is literally forcing me to write. I refuse to do anything demanding on Sunday. It is one great rest day where I just laze around like a reptile.
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You’re totally spot-on both with showing up when you don’t feel like it and taking a break, too.
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There is a reason why I am so stubborn with writing every day. A lot of the writers I’ve talk to, they often say things like, “I can only write when the inspiration strikes.” Or, “I can only write when I’m in the zone.”
But inspiration doesn’t come whenever you want, and zone is a mysterious area. which you can’t get every day. What will you do when you have neither of these?
Why, write every day of course, whether just 500 words, you write.
Because when professional creative people like composers, designers, developers, or writers show up for work, they don’t wait for inspiration or zone. They just come, do their work, and try to do better next day.
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That’s it exactly. And eventually it even becomes a habit like brushing your teeth so that you feel weird if you don’t do it.
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What a nice blast from the past. One year, to be exact. I actually mirror your thoughts here, in that if I’m working for myself, the sky’s the limit. But when I’m working for others, the tasks can seem so pointless. But I’m at a crossroads and am thinking hard about my career path, because reality beckons. Thanks for this tiny spark of reminding me what it’s like to work on myself though.
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It is interesting to read some of my own articles. It reminds me of who I was, and what kind of space I was when I wrote these.
Also, I think I’ll never change in that working for someone else will always be a chore for me.
Here’s hoping best for your career, Stuart!
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