In the wake of some personal struggles this year, it has been hard to find the motivation to focus on writing. I was dealing with a chronically ill husband, debilitating anxiety attacks, medical concerns, and the ups and downs of finding out I’m pregnant only to then have a miscarriage.
Needless to say, keeping my mind attentive to the details of a book I should be completing struggled to find it’s way into the top of my priorities list.
But in September, I found my focus again, and it came in the unlikeliest of places.
Crafting.
I know, I know, it sounds totally ridiculous. But growing up with a creative mother and a home that encouraged doing projects and playing with paint and being in theatre productions made crafting a wonderful outlet for many things. Stress. Excitement. Awesome gifts.
And somewhere along the line, in the chaos of college and marriage and grad school and full-time employment, taking the time to work on little fun, crafty projects took a significant and purposeful step to the back of the line. It could have been busyness or distractions or just good old fashioned laziness, but I lost that joy from creating something pretty.
I’ve been lucky enough to find it again. And not only find it, but have the time to actually do something with it. I’ve been writing handwritten notes and mailing them to friends, working on gifts to give to people I know, decorating items for our new reading nook, and – most importantly – designing my planners and 90-day plan.
I took crafting and followed in the footsteps of some much more accomplished authors than I am and developed a 90-day plan for myself, which some of you may have seen me working on last month on my Instagram. I designed my own pages and used fun tapes and pens and stickers to make my planner beautiful.
And the simple act of working on this project reminded me the importance of slowing down. As much as I’d like to be an author who can churn out book after book after book without a break, I just know I will never be that person. I love to write, but I have to allow myself the chance to slow down to really do it the right way for me. I need to create beautiful little crafts and spend time with my neighbors and go on vacations and walk the dog with my husband.
Since I’ve adopted a routine of forcing myself to slow down, things have actually picked up! I’ve felt more mentally stimulated and have been writing more eagerly. I’m finally getting the fuel I need to make my brain move the way I want it to.
In the next blog post, I’ll share what my 90-day plan looks like, as well as the steps I’m taking to develop my business plan. It should be equal parts left and right brain.
Hopefully:)