I can feel it, waiting in the wings, ready to pounce. Remember when I talked about motivation? Well, I'm feeling unmotivated. Or at least my motivation is losing steam. And not just for writing. I'm not motivated to do anything but stare at my computer screen playing SimCity 4.
I'm honing in on the warning signs these days. I can feel my frustration grow with the things surrounding me. My kids are monsters, particularly the 3 year old although I'm pleased to say she is potty trained for the most part (finally). I'm tired of cooking and cleaning. I'm tired of playing chauffeur to my kids. I'm tired of writing. Basically, I'm tired.
But it isn't as if things have changed from two weeks ago. I think it is just the way my mental state works. But if I let myself slide into it, go with the flow as it were, I can get stuck in a whining rut accomplishing nothing and getting increasingly cranky.
So I started working out and focusing on my diet. I needed to anyway, but I think my easily distracted mind needs something new to focus on. I'm not the type of person who can focus their time completely around writing, I end up not enjoying it and if I don't enjoy it, my writing is garbage. The same goes for anything else. If I make it my life, I hate it in no time. So I needed something fresh to put my mind to.
I also must tip my hat to my trusty timer. It gives me the discipline I so badly need. I may not want to clean those bathrooms, but my timer tells me only have to worry about for a half hour and I can do something else. Same with writing. If I'm struggling, I still need to stick with it until my timer goes off.
I'm hoping this cycle is short, it certainly isn't as overwhelming as it has been in the past. I'm still excited about my WIPs and I'm hoping to maintain it. I'm learning to accept the fact that I do go through these cycles and its important to do something before they get out of hand.
Do you feel slumps coming on or do they hit you without warning? Do you have strategies to head them off or pull you out?
