tl;dr: The life of a writer can be difficult, especially when comfort food and Netflix are calling. But prioritizing sleep, exercise, clean eating, and meditation helps keep the mind sharp and energy up, making it easier to tackle the writing journey. Start small, expect slip-ups, and invest in your health—it's like planting seeds for a fruitful future, even if it means stealing some time away from mindless web surfing today.
I’m finding myself struggling with these experience points posts because they feel preachy when I re-read them. That’s not the intent - I’m just trying to share some things that I’ve learned in my life after falling off the boat a few times and struggling to get back on. We’re all just trying to be happier, more prolific writers, so let’s get to it.
I know it’s hard to be consistent and do the “right” things for longevity. For me, as soon as something doesn’t go my way - out parade the thoughts of comfort food, pajamas, and binging Netflix (and it takes a concerted effort to counter those thoughts). Writing is not an easy life, it takes effort and an unflinching stoicism. It’s hard to stay motivated… positive… and creative… all the time - especially since it feels like there’s a bottomless bucket of cold water with my name on it. Case in point, I’m querying an urban fantasy book I’ve worked hard on over the past couple years - my queries are coming back with form rejections. So, yeah, it’s rough out there, and all we can do is keep plugging away, making sure we’re physically and mentally ready for whatever comes our way.
To combat this over the years, I’ve come up with my own recipe - it’s simple, certainly not earth shattering, but it’s backed by science (check out Peter Attia’s The Drive podcast). Sometimes just seeing it in writing is enough to get me back in line. I’m not saying you have to do what I do in each of these, but do something, anything really that’s moving in a positive direction. You’ll get to your own recipe, but here is mine:
Get good sleep
around 8 hours
Exercise vigorously and regularly
30 mins of HIIT 3-5x/week mixed with a little trail running and mountain biking
Eat clean
striving to stick as close to the Mediterranean Diet as I can (news flash, it’s not a “diet” it’s a lifestyle)
Meditate
20 mins a day
Do I do each of these every day? I mean to, I strive to, but no, I don’t. Sometimes life gets in the way, and that’s ok as long as I jump back on the boat before things get out of hand. Not being maniacal about it works for me, but I intentionally prioritize them because I know how they positively impact me, helping me stay in the Write Mind.
I’ve learned that if I get too little sleep then my attention wanders, my desire to do the right thing fades, and I settle for less (less time writing, less quality work, less energy, less patience, less good food choices, less everything). So, yeah, it all starts with sleep for me - it’s the ante to get in the game. But sleep alone isn’t enough. Good nutrition (eating clean), exercise, and meditation are necessary partners for a vibrant mind and body. Let’s not kid ourselves, anything that requires us to sit in a chair for hours on end also requires that we counteract that sloth-like, sedentary nirvana by training our bodies like Olympians. Combined, they’re my antidote for the sedentary writer’s life - their benefits are real, leaving me with more energy and positivity.
That’s it, but you do you - whatever works.
Three parting thoughts.
You might not be ready to jump in with these all at once. Start small and introduce them a bit at a time - if you haven’t already, go read Atomic Habits by James Clear right now - it’s a modern treatise on how to introduce, build and maintain healthy habits while eliminating bad ones.
Accept that bad habits will creep back in, be ready for it. You’ll think you can get by on less sleep or convince yourself that french fries are good for you. That’s ok, it happens - the trick is to not let it linger and don’t beat yourself up. Just get back to making healthy decisions that build you up, restore your energy, and help you stay in a good mental space. If you feel good about yourself, you’ll be more productive.
You’ll only benefit from adopting smart habits, and they’ll pay off for years to come. Not to mention, they’ll help fend off mental decline, keeping us sharper, happily writing and publishing into old age.
Don’t have time? That’s a lie. Just steal 30 minutes away from your mindless web surfing or so-called world-building research, and invest it into your mind and body - it’ll pay dividends well beyond the effort.
Grab some momentum - do one thing today to drive a good habit and share it with us.
I don’t think these come across as preachy at all. They’re magnificent. 😊