Struggling to find the motivation to sit down and revise the novel I’m working on or to blog has been something I’ve been trying to solve as of late.
I’m someone who will easily dismiss it as a time issue. “Yeah, I really want to write, but there are so many other things to do and no time!” Then I’ll promptly go sit on my couch and fall asleep after watching Netflix for a couple hours.
It’s not a time issue, it’s a motivation issue and I think I’ve found some solutions. At least for weekends. Weekdays do come down to some time management and pure exhaustion from work. Especially now during the pandemic and extra demands/expectations being placed on us.
I thought I’d share with you some of the peculiar and maybe not so peculiar things I do to motivate and excite myself to write on Saturday and Sunday mornings:
Get up early. I drag my lazy butt out of bed as early as I can fathom whilst still allowing a wee bit of a sleep in. I aim for 6:30/7:00 a.m. Sometimes it’s 8:00 a.m., I don’t patronize myself too much for it. Sometimes you just need to hit snooze one or seven times. If I really want to discipline myself I’ll do my grocery shopping at 8:00 a.m. with all the elderly folks, who – let’s face it – I have more in common with anyway.
Get dressed. No sweatpants over here in the morning anymore. I’m talking about my ‘get it done’ (“it” is usually replaced with a cruder word) outfits. Usually outfits I can’t wear to my day time job, but wish I could. Ripped up jeans and floppy sweaters or band t-shirts and short shorts while wearing blood red lipstick and winged eyeliner. Whatever fits my mood that particular morning. You can also be sure that while I’m smearing makeup on my face the music I’m plugged into on my iPod will also match my outfit of the day.
Chores. Feed my cat (feed myself, too. Preferably something that isn’t cat food) and complete some of the chores on my list. The more I can get out of the way right from the start the better. That way I don’t have them looming over my head all day. Plus there’s something super satisfying about being done your laundry before noon.
Raise the blinds and open the windows. First of all, fresh air is good. Second of all, having the blinds completely open is important, because then I feel like I’m on display for everyone walking by to see. I don’t want them to see me sprawled out on my couch shovelling back a handful of chips. I want them to at least get the illusion that I’m a productive member of society as I sit at my dining room table typing away. I think that’s why working in my office doesn’t really cut it for me most days.
Coffee. I have never liked hot coffee. It tastes as if burnt toast melted itself into a liquid state or if you were to take a swig of nail polish remover. Yet I always come back to it every few months on the off chance that I’ll have suddenly acquired a taste for it. Well, a few weeks ago, whilst giving it another shot (because my oasis coloured Keurig is too cute to only use for hot chocolate) I found the beverage bitter, however I 1. Didn’t despise it and 2. Found that it kept me oddly focused. I’m a thirty year old woman, but sitting there sipping coffee out of my Hocus Pocus mug made me feel grown up and professional. As of a few weeks ago I became a consumer of coffee on weekend mornings.
All the scents. I will often light a Bath and Body Works candle or switch on my Saje diffuser when I write, because it’s both calming and cozy when a house smells like a forest or candy. My house frequently smells like Bath and Body Works’ ‘Autumn’, ‘Black Cherry Merlot’ or ‘Sweater Weather’ scented candles. If not that then maybe ‘Mountain High’ or ‘Liquid Sunshine’ essential oils from Saje.
Shut it off. My most productive writing happens when I shut off all other technology around me, e.g. the TV or even my record player. While music plays a huge part in keeping me inspired it’s best I keep all my attention on my laptop. On it I will either have my iTunes or Spotify playing whatever best reflects the project I’m working on.
Social Media. In keeping with the musical inspiration and holding myself accountable with open blinds I’ll occasionally make social media posts about working on a project. Like the snapshots on my Instagram stories or my pinboard on Pinterest dedicated to the novel I’m currently revising. I assure you that these posts are less for you and more for me. If I make it an announcement I feel like I mean business. It’s not you, it’s me.
Keep it relevant. If I take any breaks it’s best I keep them within the category or subject area. What I mean is, instead of turning on the TV I will either watch a YouTube video that has some connection to the writing I’m doing (an interview with a specific actor for character inspiration or an educational video dealing with the content matter in a blog post). If not watching a video I’ll read a chapter or two in whatever novel I’m currently in the midst of devouring.
Painted nails. The most bizarre thing that I find keeps me excited to write or blog is when I have painted nails. No, hear me out. It’s a lot more thrilling to occasionally catch a glimpse of my colourful nail polished fingers clacking across the keyboard than when they’re naked. I’m not saying it’ll work for you, I’m just saying it does something for me. Maybe it has some deeper rooted connection to being all put together.
Keep work at work. Finally, this year in particular I’m trying to keep my work at work when it comes to weekends, because while I love my job, there is also more to me than my day job. Everyone is entitled to more than “just” their career. Everyone can still love their day job and demand more from life. It’s not all wake up, work and one day cease to exist. I’m really learning that this year.
There’s that. My peculiar or not so peculiar list of things I do to keep up my motivation to write on weekend mornings. What do your morning routines look like on the weekend?