Thursday, May 3, 2018

How to Stay on Track During the Warmer Months

From Writerslife.org:


With the weather getting warmer and warmer, it can be easy to get off track as your focus tends to be geared towards getting outside. While it can be difficult to focus, it need not continue that way. It’s possible to be focused on your work and also enjoy the sunshine. 
Instead of planning activities outdoors during working hours why don’t you work outside! This will allow you to enjoy the sun while also allowing you to get your work done.
Try getting up earlier in the day. When you get up earlier in the day, you can end your day earlier as well. Instead of working the typical 9 to 5, work 8 to 4 or even 7 to 3, do what you feel comfortable with. With spending time outside you don’t want to waste working hours where you could be productive. The goal is to be productive while also enjoying the warmer weather. 
Set goals for yourself each day. Set 5 to 10 big goals for yourself during the week. When you accomplish these goals, you get the rest of the week off! If you set a goal to write 10,000 words for your book and you get it done by Thursday morning, then you can stop working again until Monday! You don’t want to deprive yourself of the summer sun.
The last step towards staying on track during the warmer months is to plan activities for yourself each weekend. It’s easy to want to stop working and go outside, yet this isn’t possible if you want to be productive. Plan outdoor activities for yourself each weekend. These are activities that will allow you to push yourself through the week and allow you to take the weekend in stride! 
No one said it would be easy getting work done during the summer months, but it’s entirely possible if you follow the steps addressed above!

Yes, it's getting close to that time of the year. Right now the weather in my neck of the woods is not quite cold yet not quite warm, though temperatures in the 70s and above are expected in the next few days. I can get easily tired no matter what the weather, but am dreading to see just how tired when the summer heat hits. Along with fatigue coming from the hot weather, I also have trouble sleeping during the hot weather and will often wake up tired. 

Yes, I agree that hot weather can make it hard to concentrate, not just on writing, but just about everything. It's often to hot for me to want to just go outside or even to the store or somewhere. 

And I now wonder what I will be working on this summer. I'll either be getting back to the memoir or continuing the diary novel or possibly starting something new, maybe the sequel I seem to be envisioning to the diary. All this is still to come. 

1 comment:

Elephant's Child said...

Very hot weather has me hunkered down inside. And yes, I do get up early, and try and get things done before the heat ramps up.