Post-Project Burnout and Resetting the Course

Yesterday I spent my afternoon planning for 2012 and listened to the SOPA hearings. Right now, it looks like SOPA will pass, regardless of the evidence to the contrary. It bothers me that the narrative “if you’re against SOPA, you’re against IP/copyright protection” has been twisted to make everyone who doesn’t agree with SOPA a pirate who needs to be criminally prosecuted.

Anyway, before I turn that into a rant… (See Fizzgig above.)

Today’s thoughtful post comes from author L.A. Gilman who talks about the crash after writing a novel. I really liked her article and found it was relevant even when you’re working on big projects. Basically, Gilman addresses burnout and what to do about it.

Funny, but I didn’t even realize I had hit burnout until I read this article. Yeah, that was pretty sobering. Well, acknowledging you have a problem is the first step to resolving it. It seems that’s what I’ve been trying to do, but I need to kick it up a notch. So, here’s what I’m doing to get back in my groove.

1 ) Hold self accountable to self by logging word count and exercise minutes from the previous day.
2 ) Get back to using a timer. When I used one, I was highly productive!
3 ) Get back to daily to-do lists
4 ) Recognize accomplishments!
5 ) Clean on a schedule, too, and realize it will never be as clean as I want it to be.
6 ) Balance work and play by scheduling free nights!
7 ) Outlines, outlines, outlines.
8 ) Holidays decrease productivity by a factor of egg nog and Christmas cookies. Oy.
9 ) Schedule PR time like I would anything else.
10 ) I’m human. Things are going to happen that will screw up my plans for world domination. The trick is to get back on the horse and not mope about what I haven’t done.

    Mood: Sneezy!
    Caffeinated Beverages Consumed: Three
    Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday: Short walk
    Word Count Logged Yesterday (not including day job): FAH!
    In My Ears: Don’t Hold Your Breath Remix by Nicole Scherzinger
    Game Last Played: Fauxcabulary
    Movie Last Viewed: Conan
    Book Last Read: Last Call by Tim Powers
    Latest Artistic Project: Byzantium chainmail bracelet with pink/iris green/black rings
    Upcoming Release: Strange, Dead Love for Vampire: the Requiem
December 16, 2011
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Monica Valentinelli is an author, artist, and narrative designer who writes about magic, mystery, and mayhem. Her portfolio includes stories, games, comics, essays, and pop culture books.

In addition to her own worlds, she has worked on a number of different properties including Vampire: the Masquerade, Shadowrun, Hunter: the Vigil, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn, and Robert E. Howard’s Conan.

Looking for Monica’s books and games that are still in print? Visit Monica Valentinelli on Amazon’s Author Central or a bookstore near you.

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