Saturday, February 6, 2010 3:00 PM EST
When it comes to taking breaks, I am the absolute worst. I continue grinding away until I can no longer look at the screen. I turn off the computer. I hide all my books. And I don't even think about writing for another day or two.
So how do you balance this? That is the age-old question. I can only say that I am getting better at this, but only marginally so. I believe the answer lies in setting clear and obtainable goals. Your mind needs a beginning and an end, just like a book. From what I've found, if my mind doesn't see an end in sight, my productivity wanes. I work longer hours and get less done. And somewhere along the line, there's a total brain freeze.
Another factor is progress. If you perceive that you are making headway and can see the end, you'll want to work longer and harder. Again, this ties into setting realistic goals. Can you really complete this task in a day or two? If not, break it up, and then give yourself one as well.
There are several different types of breaks and each has its own advantages. Short breaks typically last between 5-10 minutes and are certainly no longer than 30. We primarily think of these as bathroom and snack breaks, but they could also be used effectively during long writing sessions. Try writing for an hour, and then lay down for ten minutes. Completely relax your body and mind. Once those 10 minutes are up, write for another hour. This is basically a power nap, but it can work wonders for your energy level (just don't accidentally fall asleep and wake up the next morning). If you feel sleep is a bad idea, try taking a light jog.
When taking a medium-sized break of one to two hours, be careful not to stop writing altogether. It's easy to get caught up in the day and throw your manuscript by the wayside.
But you can avoid this.
Give yourself an ultimatum. Tell yourself that you can only be away for a certain period of time--let's say a maximum of three hours. Then it's back to work! Georges Simenon, one of the most prolific authors in history, imposed an internal deadline of 48 hours. If he was away from his work any longer, he discarded everything he had written. At times he'd throw away the better part of a novel. Certainly I'm not advocating this approach.
It is also helpful to alternate activities. Schedule a two-hour block of time to write, followed by an hour of research, 30 minutes of organization, and then write again for another two hours. At the end of your day, reward yourself with a movie. Or chocolate ;)
We take long breaks when we sleep and even longer ones when we fall into a coma. Such can be the effect on your writing too. It's hard to muster the same enthusiasm when the idea is no longer fresh. That's why it's better to keep producing for a designated period of time so that your work can harnesses all of the initial excitement. Leave long breaks for work, sleep and family, but nothing else. When you're in the middle of a project, honor your commitment. See it through and then reward yourself with a little vacation afterward.
I know what you're about to say--this is only a generalized view of how to manage one's time. But let's keep things simple, really simple. Everything discussed above can be boiled down to this--take a break when you need to, not when you can. Get in the mindset of starting and finishing tasks and reward yourself afterward.
Certainly things come up. Life happens. Do you have a strategy when it does? Conversely, you cannot be expected to write 16 hours every single day. You'll go insane. Find the proper balance and you will unleash your true potential.
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Ok, this is going to sound totally insane, but bear with me. I'm going to try out a new approach to writing a novel. Consider it an experiment, a curiosity. Rather than make excuses, I'm going to write a manuscript--one sentence at a time. Progress is measured by the number of sentences I can add each day. The minimum is one and everything afterward is a bonus.
A minute of your time is not just any minute. It is the taste of what could be if you had many more. It is a launching point, your war cry, or that final bit of polish. It is your magic minute, every minute of every day. And it is yours to do with as you please.
