Strategies for Survival AND Success: Take a Break

This message inspired by Owen’s thread in the forum about taking a break.

See what I did there?  Tying my own break into his thing he already wrote?  Good times.

Sometimes, you gotta take a break.  Especially now, around the middle of the month.  I skipped over all the days I was going to write about the midway thrill, and also the midway doldrums.  We’re past week two, but for some people, it’s week three that’s the real week two, if you know what I mean.

Some people can pick up a lot of steam by just KEEPING GOING the whole time.  Some people can use a big showing at Midway to springboard into a win!  Yeeeah, not me.  A day after I write a ton of words at an event, I can barely turn on my computer.  I still update at least a little bit each day, but anything beyond that is a no go.

(Now I am in a word war, so you all may forgive the sudden drop in quality.)

That’s okay.  Burnout is a very real thing.  Sometimes the only difference in people with burnout is WHEN does it hit?  Week two?  When you’re super ahead and you don’t feel the pressure to keep going?  Or can you hold it off until the end?  There was one year where I was so DONE by the end of the year, I couldn’t make it to TGIO because I was just.  So.  Tired. Of.  Nano.  Everything.  Another year, I was just fine and had a great time.  So it can vary even person to person.

If you’re feeling burnt out, or sick (did you follow the Strategy for Survivial: eat a Vegetable?  No?  Well that’s what you get.  Oh, you did?  Got sick anyway?  Bad luck, my dude.) now might be the time to take a break.

If you’re ahead, or on par, it won’t hurt you to phone it in a day or two.  Even miss an event, if you need to.  That’s right, I’m telling you that you can skip your weekly writein if that is what you need to get back on track in your brain space.  It is seriously okay.

And do what?  Hang out with your not nano friends.  Say hi to your family.  Talk to your mom.  (Conor.)  Catch that movie you’ve been putting off until December, or crash out on the couch with some cocoa and Netflix.  Read a little.  Whatever.  Do all those little self care things that you should be doing throughout the month anyway, and focus your energy on that ALL day.

For a lot of people, the Thanksgiving weekend is a time when they need to take a break anyway, because Turkey Day demands their attention.  Go ahead and use it.  Gobble Gobble.

Now, I’m not saying that you should skip updating entirely for the day.  No no, if you’re going for that 30 day badge, still update.  But ten words is still an update.

Take a break.  You deserve it.