When you start out as an indie author, there always seems to be so much to do. So, you join communities to learn from other more experienced authors. But, my word, do you meet some frightening people! I’m talking about the ones who publish four books a year, maintain a weekly newsletter, post on social all day and who also have a family of four kids. Oh, and they might have a day job too. (OK, I am exaggerating slightly.)

But phew, it makes me feel exhausted just thinking about it!

What’s worse is that you’re told this is how to make it. That person is earning five or six figures a year and it’s the only way to do it. You’ll only be successful if you burn the candle at both ends and in the middle as well.

But that’s not me. I’ve learned the hard way several times the dangers of trying to do too much. I’ve burnt myself out several times and, believe me, it’s not pleasant. As I have epilepsy, I need to make sure I don’t get too stressed or tired, as that could trigger a seizure. So I guard my downtime carefully. When I’m working a day job and writing, it’s even more important and, if I’m honest, the day job takes precedent (as it pays more money).

A cappuccino with text saying time for a coffee. Time to put down the pen and relax

So, how do you prevent burnout?

  1. Take rest periods – I’m not going to come out with all that nonsense about ‘get more sleep’. Let’s face it, I struggle with that and have no words of wisdom in that area. What I’m talking about is whenever I’ve had an intense writing session, I make sure I claim some time back. Yes, I feel guilty that I’m not still writing, but the whole point is to step away and take a complete break, even if that’s just a trip to a coffee shop for an hour or two. Or the pub, if you’re me!
  2. Be realistic – we all have the same number of hours in the week, but it’s all about how you use them. In Laura Vanderkam’s book “168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think” she advocates keeping a record of how you spend your time during the day (how many hours you work, commute, exercise etc) to find out how you actually use your time. Then you can look for activities that you could do more quickly or stacked on top of others to allow time for what you want to do. So, what I’m talking about is carving out time for activities you find fun and restorative – rather than just finding more writing time.
  3. Take time for exercise – what I’m talking about here is restorative exercise. That might be running the streets or hitting the gym to lift weights, but equally it could mean going for a stroll or my personal favourite, Pilates. It’s an hour a week when I can switch off and focus on my body and how lucky I am that it can move the way it does. Too much sitting in a chair is terrible for you, so my Pilates teacher is one of my favourite people. And if I can’t wait for a class, she has an online on-demand service so I can get my fix anytime I want.

In conclusion…

We all love writing, but it’s important to love yourself and your sanity as well. I’m not a fan of ‘self-care’ as a term, but it’s good to give yourself a break. I carry some guilt for not writing every hour God sends, but I would lose my mind if I tried to do that and my writing would suffer. So I work to the best of my ability, as much as I can, while being realistic in what I can achieve with the time that I have.

And I celebrate every success, no matter how small; even if that’s just adding 2,000 words to my manuscript or writing a week’s worth of blog posts (as I’m doing now). I did my exercise this morning (a nice long walk) but I may also treat myself to an Ismini session later. I know I’ll feel better for it.