Here’s what happens to me. It probably happens to you.

I spend the day at work  anxious about getting home to write. What happens when I get home?

My mind is exhausted.

I crunched numbers all day. I made presentations. I sat in meetings.

My excitement to write dwindles as soon as I sit down at my home computer. I’m mentally exhausted.

It’s much harder to create your best work when your brain needs a break. Yes I still write after work, but it’s not the optimal time for me.

Unfortunately we’re creatures of habit (cute creatures fortunately!). I found myself writing only after work WHEN I’M ALWAYS MENTALLY EXHAUSTED. 

This is really, really bad. Writing while mentally exhausted takes MORE motivation, MORE effort, MORE focusing and it’s LESS fun! Most of all I wasn’t producing my best work.

Later I’d review my writing and notice PLENTY of mistakes and inconsistencies. I was spending a LOT OF TIME going no where. Worst of all, writing was becoming a chore.

So you know what I did?

I tested myself (that sounds unintentionally awkward).

I experimented writing during different times.

• When am I most motivated?
• When am I most alert?
• When is writing most fun?

Here’s what I discovered about when it’s best for me to write:

1. Early in the morning: my mind is fresh and ready and I feel a purpose to begin my day
2. Weekend evenings: after a day spent relaxing I’m super refreshed (superfreshed!)

Do I still write after work? Yes – BUT! I ensure that I set aside time to write when it’s best for me to write. I wake up before work to write. I stay up late on weekends and sit in the dark tapping my fingers.

What’s been the result? I’ve produced so much more GOOD WRITING CONTENT than I have otherwise. It’s SO MUCH EASIER to write when it feels right (right?)! The ideas flow, my mind races, and my fingers hardly take a break. I’ve written whole stories in hardly an hour during these times (some are published/getting published, hurrah!), when after work it might’ve take me the whole week

Before: wrote a lot and produced little After: write less and produce more

It’s that simple. SO HERE’S THE DEAL! You just have to discover when your mind is ready for writing! You’ll spend less effort producing much better work.

Happy writing!

Octotea

PS) IT’S FRIGGEN TOUGH TO GET UP EARLY AND WEEKENDS ARE PARTYING PRIVY – but this is for another post

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