Learning When To Push - The Creative Process

LEARNING WHEN TO PUSH

Given that last week I talk about learning how to rest (piece found here), it might seem counter-intuitive that this week I'm talking about pushing yourself. I promise you that the two are linked yes, and they do not cancel each other out. Rest is still so very important to the author life, but so is finding those limits and trying to stretch and move past them when the need arises.

When I first started writing, I didn't push myself because at the time I didn't see it as a career. At the time it was something to do for fun, and it was really only the last decade that I've had some kind of writing routine, and been able to find a way that works for me. That's what I'm talking about today, how to hone in on that writing routine, and pushing yourself a little is part of that.

I don't think any writer tries one routine and instantly finds the thing and way that works best for them. We are all unique in the way we work, and while there may be similarities between the way I do things and the way someone else does things, it's never exactly the same. Finding a writing routine is all about trial and error, taking this thing from someone else and added, and adapting, it to your toolbox. Too much of the time the focus is on productivity, that we should be working above all else, and that's just not true.

Your worth is not tied to how many words you wrote this week, month, or year. Sure if you're someone like me who lots the data and stats, then it can be fun to work out, but you are not defined by them. When you're first starting out it can be easy to get caught up in comparing yourself to other, established, writers and authors, and that's a trap I don't want anyone else to fall into.

It's basically the same as comparing your first draft to someone's extremely polished book. There's no comparison because one has just been written and the other has been worked on for a long while. So when it comes to writing routines, and when it comes to working out how much to push yourself, keep in mind that while you know you best, so do the people who post their routines, they know how they personally work. So, of course they're going to seem like they have it all sorted when sometimes a lot of that knowledge comes from a lot of experimenting and the like.  

The truth is that pushing yourself does have its place. If you've been trying to work out if you're able to manage more on your plate, then pushing a little can help you really fathom whether this is something that's sustainable, or something that's going to push you over the edge. Like I know, from pushing myself, that I can usually manage at least one thing a day. I also know that so long as it's not constant, I can sometimes manage two or three things a day working wise.

I've taken that knowledge and applied it across the month so that yes, I have days when I do two things, but it's not every single day, and it's also not several days in a row, because doing that will cause me to end up in a flare, and the work to suffer for it. I don't want to have to miss a whole week because I pushed myself way too much and ended up flat on my back and laid up with pain and such. 

So learning when to push is a great tool to help you manage and work out what works for you, what doesn't, and the circumstances for both. Take it slow, don't be afraid to stop, don't forgo rests, and make sure you look after yourself in the process. You will thank yourself later.

Good luck!

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments! 

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