This post was originally featured in my newsletter but I wanted to share it here too.

I know last newsletter I talked about modules and game design a bit, but this month, I am veering into a totally different topic. The month of June has been my most productive writing month this year. I've managed over 45,000 words written during June's 30 days! I'm incredible proud of that, since I've been really struggling this year. (For example, I wrote 18,000 words in May.)

Basically, everyone I know is struggling right now. Between the tension in the world, the crushing rise of AI in creative fields, and just general exhaustion, people are having a hard time. Me too. But this month, I put in some guardrails in place to help myself out and it honestly has made a difference. I wanted to share those and just some general advice for y'all.

My word count for June! I haven’t put in the final amount for June 30 (today), but it puts me at over 45,000 for the month! Click on the picture for a link to where you can get the spreadsheet I use to track my words.

1. No Internet Before 9am or after 8pm

Why these times? Because it lets me start my day without social media/doomscrolling/news/memes taking over my day before its begun or when I should be settling in for bed. I've not been perfect at it for sure, but just making the effort of not turning to my phone first thing in the morning has been hugely helpful.

2. Enjoying New Things

Finding new movies/books/games to focus on has been hugely helpful. Previously I had been very 'I'll watch *insert new tv show here* after I finish this project' and while that does have its place, it also means I don't get inspired by other's work as often. Allowing myself to fall into new things (like the manga series I mentioned above or the sensational K-Pop Demon Hunter) have helped to refill the creative well in my heart and made me want to work on my own projects.

3. Improving My Attention

My attention span is awful. After years of short videos and doing 19 things at once, I have a hard time just focusing on any one thing for a period of time. But that makes creating especially challenging when I want to weave a complicated plot or clever puzzle. To help with that, I've been focusing on things that require my entire attention. For me, that's been Murdle (mostly in physical book form) and R.E.P.O. on my computer. Both require my total focus.
Murdle forces me to use logic to figure who the murderer is based on a limited number of clues. R.E.P.O. is a video game where you play as a little robot collecting items to meet the quotas a strange entity demands of you. BUT there are terrifying creatures waiting for you and a moment of inattention and its all over for your little robot. The game also has a bonus of being a great co-op game so playing with friends makes it more social (and falls into enjoying new things too)!

4. Focusing On Things I Can Do

It is so easy to collapse into the 'everything is on fire and I have to stare at it' mindset. I still often spend far too much time doomscrolling through the horrible things happening in the world and feeling hopeless and powerless. So what I've done is put together a list of things I can do. For me, that's call elected officials about issues I'm worried about, write letters to my local newspapers, donate to my local libraries, and volunteer with some organizations focused on literacy. When I get too overwhelmed, I turn to one of these things to help me feel less powerless.

5. Lowering the Bar

I have very high expectations for myself. My to-do lists are usually 40-50 things a day, and I get stressed when I can't get to all of them. So I've started to put fewer things on my list where I can and trying to save my energy for the creative work I want to complete. That might look like dinner being a microwaved meal instead of something from scratch on days when I'm having a hard time with just existing. It also means trying to not beat myself up for making those choices. This is honestly the one I've struggled with the most, but it has made the biggest difference.

It isn't a perfect system and I definitely still have bad days where I flop on the couch and stare into the void to let it consume me. But, I've had more days where I can at least get up and do some things, so I'll take that as a win.

What kind of things have worked for you?

What a year January has been, huh?

As the year kicks off, I am being hit over the head with a reminder that dang can I blow through my energy way too quickly.

My day job tends to start quickly and be really intense at the start of the year. That means I come home and my brain is a bit like scrambled eggs. It's hard for me to think or create after work.

My energy is consumed with everything I do during the day so that means if I want to get much of anything creative done, anything that requires my brain firing at full capacity then I have to get it done before I head into work.

Thankfully, I'm a pretty solid morning person already so it works for me. Knowing when you naturally have more energy is really important to figuring out those times you can best work.

I know some writers who are, like me, morning people, and I know a lot of writers who are total night owls. They create once everyone else has gone to bed and sleep in as long as possible in the morning. There isn't a one size fits all strategy that guarantees success for you.

On the up side, that means no one can tell you what to do; on the down side that means no one can tell you what to do. It's a pro and a con because choosing your own style can be freeing and amazing but it also involves trial and error over time.

How do you figure out when your energy is at its peak?

Track it.

I know, kind of boring but that's the only way to know. Try tracking your energy for two weeks, two average weeks of your life. Don't do this while you're on vacation or holiday, see what it looks like it during your daily routine.

Rate your energy from a 1-10 every hour. If you're like me, it's high in the morning and then around 2-3 in the afternoon I nose dive into needing a nap land.

See what your energy levels tell you about when you'd be best creating things. Maybe you are super alert at 1 in the afternoon. Is there any way you could take a late lunch at your work and spend some time writing then? Look for ways to fit what your life looks like into what you want to do.