Erica Vetsch here: I'm so happy to host Seekerville (And my personal) friend Amanda Barratt on the blog today! I've known her for a long time, and she's as sweet and fun as can be, and we share a love of all things historical! She's got a fantastic new book which you can be entered to win by dropping a comment and talking about her timely blog topic today!
Three Tips to Beat Stress—Writer’s
Edition
Amanda Barratt
Being a
writer is stressful.
No, let me
go a step further. Life is stressful.
It’s busy, it’s cluttered, and sometimes, instead of churning words, we just
want to curl up with a blanket and eat chocolate and watch Clark Gable movies.
I know I’m not the only one. ;)
When we’re
stressed by externals, we’re not producing at our full potential. Of course,
there are the big stresses—illness, the death of a family member, the loss of a
job. During those times, we’re sometimes called to take a step away and put
writing on the back burner. Or dig deeper into grace and keep pushing onward
with God’s help.
What I’m
talking about is the everyday stress—all those little pebbles that pile on top
of us and become a boulder. You’ve dealt with them. I’ve dealt with them. I
still deal with them on a daily basis. But after studying productivity and how
to live a calmer life, I’ve discovered a few tips that, though they don’t
eliminate stress entirely, do help alleviate it. Today I’m going to share those
tips with you.
1—To-Do Lists—I’m a paper person. I love pens and
planners and pretty notepads. Living a less stressful, more organized life
means I can indulge my office-supplies obsession to the fullest.
Lists
accomplish two objectives. When we take time to write out what we want to do,
it helps us see what we’re actually doing, trim away the unnecessary, and zero
in on the essential. Also, putting it down on paper eliminates the excuse, “Oh,
I forgot.” Unless you lose the paper! Each week, I write out a to-do list for
every day. As the week goes on, I edit those lists based on what comes up. A
sample list for a Wednesday might be:
1—Write 2k on novella in the morning.
2—Deep clean the upstairs bathroom.
3—Work 3-7 p.m. (Working a part-time day job along with writing makes
lists like these essential in juggling everything.)
Notice I only wrote down the things that will take up big
chunks of my day, not stuff like make
lunch, or do morning devotions.
I’ve trained myself to do those other things on auto-pilot, so there’s no need
to record them. Of course, you can make your list as long or short as you want.
Exercising always makes the list at least 2 days a week, as writing it down
helps with accountability. Sometimes knowing I have to leave an item uncrossed
if I don’t complete it is my main motivation for getting it done!
2— Clear the Clutter—There really is truth to The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
It’s been proven that external clutter also clutters the brain. Trying to write
a scene when your office is strewn with piles of papers and last week’s
breakfast dishes is going to be more difficult than if your office is clean and
organized. Once you have an organization system in place, it’s a matter of maintenance,
which can be done in a few minutes each day. I try to tidy my office after
every writing session—throw away any papers or Kleenex (I write sad books!),
straighten my research materials (I usually keep them in a single stack on my
bookshelf or file cabinet), and make sure everything is ready for the next day.
I don’t always do this, and sometimes on deadline, my office can go weeks
without being straightened. But I put in effort to make the time because my
creativity reaps the rewards. I’m also a fan of a minimalist approach in decor,
which helps give my brain the white space it needs.
An extra
credit tip I’ve found especially helpful is simply this—don’t bring stuff into your house. Toss junk mail as soon as
possible. Weed out often, and don’t over-purchase. The same goes for your
virtual space. Unsubscribe from unnecessary emails, and have an organization
system for your inbox. The more cluttered your spaces are, the more stress
you’ll experience, whether consciously or subconsciously.
3— Set Reasonable Goals—A planner is also a great place to
set goals and plan writing time. Figure out your deadline (whether it’s
self-imposed or the one set by your publisher), and then figure out how long it
takes you to produce the number of words required to meet it, plus editing
time. For example, if you write 1000 words per day, it will take you thirty
days to write a 30,000 word novella. Of course you’re not going to write every
day, but calculate when you will. Think of those blocks of time as appointments,
and keep them. Knowing you’re going to keep those appointments eliminates the
stress of wondering how you’re going to get it all done.
Notice I
said reasonable goals. All the time
management skills and to-do lists in the world are useless if you’re
overextended. When we’re at that place of defeated exhaustion or constant
adrenaline, our life and work ceases to have joy. All of us have different
levels. Never feel guilty if you’re not as productive as a writer you follow on
social media, or aren’t one of those super-moms that has their children in five
different extracurricular activities. Being intentional about pursuing writing
has meant that I’ve had to say no to many other good things, and that hasn’t
always been easy. Slowly, I’m learning to say no, schedule wisely, and carve
out time for myself. Which leads to my last point . . .
3—Take Time for Self-Care—Let me start by saying there’s a
difference between self-care and mindless activity. The former nourishes the
heart and the latter serves only to numb the mind. I’m going to be brutally
honest and say that sometimes I waste waayyy too much time scrolling Facebook.
While I love social media, it’s easy to get sucked in, and that always isn’t
the best use of limited time. So one of my goals this year is to cut down on the
time I spend, and use the extra for something else. Figure out what actually
brings you joy, and carve out time for those things, even if it’s only a few
minutes a day. Something as simple as reading a chapter in a good book, taking
a walk outside, or watching a movie in the evening can help you press pause and
replenish peace and physical energy. Exercise is also one of the things I do
for self-care. Though it isn’t something I necessarily enjoy doing, I do enjoy
the benefits, and try to schedule at least two sessions a week.
As Christian
writers, the most important thing we can do to feed our souls is to spend
intentional time in prayer and study of the Word. Martin Luther is famous for
saying “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in
prayer.” Seeking God and surrendering our stress to Him will give us a peace
that even the most organized life cannot surpass. Giving the first minutes of
the day to God in prayer and Bible study goes back to the verse in Matthew that
says “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all of these
things shall be added unto you.” As we commit to spending time with Him, even
in the midst of stress, He will be faithful to give us wisdom and strength.
Let’s talk stress and
time-management! What areas do you struggle with most? What tips and tricks
have you found most helpful?
GIVEAWAY— To
celebrate hanging out on fabulous Seekerville, I’m giving away one copy of my
latest release My Dearest Dietrich: A
Novel of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Lost Love.
ECPA bestselling
author Amanda Barratt fell in love with writing in grade school when she wrote
her first story—a spinoff of Jane Eyre.
Now, Amanda writes romantic, historical novels and novellas, penning stories of
beauty and brokenness set against the backdrop of bygone eras not so very
different from our own. Her novel My
Dearest Dietrich: A Novel of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Lost Love, released from
Kregel Publications in June 2019.
She’s also
the author of My Heart Belongs in Niagara
Falls, New York: Adele’s Journey, as well as seven novellas with Barbour
Publishing. Two of her novellas have been finalists in the FHL Reader’s Choice
Awards.
Amanda lives
in the woods of Michigan with her fabulous family, where she can be found
reading way too many books, plotting her next novel, and jotting down imaginary
travel itineraries for her dream vacation to Europe.
My Dearest Dietrich: A Novel of Dietrich
Bonhoeffer’s Lost Love
A staggering love
illuminating the dark corners of a Nazi prison…
Renowned German pastor and theologian
Dietrich Bonhoeffer is famous for his resistance to the Nazi regime and for his
allegiance to God over government. But what few realize is that the last years
of his life also held a love story that rivals any romance novel.
Maria von Wedemeyer knows the
realities of war. Her beloved father and brother have both been killed on the
battlefield. The last thing this spirited young woman needs is to fall for a
man under constant surveillance by the Gestapo. How can she give another piece
of her heart to a man so likely to share the same final fate? Yet when Dietrich
Bonhoeffer, an old family friend, comes to comfort the von Wedemeyers after
their losses, she discovers that love isn't always logical.
Dietrich himself has determined to
keep his distance from romantic attachments. There is too much work to be done
for God, and his involvement in the conspiracy is far too important. But when
he encounters a woman whose intelligence and conviction match his own, he's
unprepared for how easy it is to give away his heart.
With their deep love comes risk--and
neither Dietrich nor Maria is prepared for just how great that risk soon
becomes.
Based on detailed
historical research and including photos from both Maria's and Dietrich's
lives, this is a true love story at once beautiful and heartrending. My
Dearest Dietrich sheds new light on a world-famous theologian . . .
and the woman who changed his life.
