Towards the end of April, I saw a submission call at Brevity.

For some reason, I quickly wrote up a short essay and sent it over the next day, which happened to be the deadline.

While they rejected the short essay I sent (no hard feelings! — and it’ll be appearing somewhere else that was a better for it), it felt nice to get back into the groove of writing more frequently.

I did a lot of creative writing in my late teens and early twenties.

I took a break in my mid-twenties to try and figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I had originally wanted to make a living solely from creative writing or creative pursuits, but the toll on my daily well-being turned out to be far worse than I expected.

In hindsight, I was terribly delusional and naive in my younger days. As I’ve said numerous times, I’m grateful for my mental health Spring Health benefit that I get through work. I’ve occasionally brought this subject up with my (very patient) therapist and the sessions have always been relaxing plus insightful.

Tips if You’re “Taking a Break”

I’m no expert on peak performance and productivity…but I thought I’d share some things I learned along the way, which might be useful if you’re also currently on a writing break.

1. Indulge in Your Hobbies

I usually don’t draw and write at the same time intensively.

I started drawing in the last quarter of last year. After several months, I managed to make some progress with my sketching. I even started using watercolors!

Other hobbies I greatly enjoy include healthy cooking, yoga, and watching films / series / the occasional reality show like Botched or 90 Day Fiancé.

Allowing myself to fully enjoy these hobbies replenished my mind and spirit, which gave me a renewed sense of writing when I decided to pick up from where I left off.

2. Keep Reading

Reading and writing are two activities that can be very time-consuming.

Still, I couldn’t imagine a life without reading.

If possible, I like to read first thing in the morning, and/or just before I go to bed. I do have to watch what I’m reading just before I sleep (anything too heavy or excitable disrupts my sleep cycle), but it’s a great way to start and end the day.

Earlier this year, I started checking out more memoirs after finishing and enjoying Jessica Simpson’s Open Book.

I haven’t done a good job cataloging what I’ve read over the years.

I have a newish GoodReads account where I’m trying to keep track of my reading list.

3. Keep Working on Your Craft (when you’re ready)

I’ve always liked reading and writing flash fiction. However, it was only recently that I realized how little I actually know of the structure and techniques.

I got some used copies of creative writing books and signed up for a course at Writing Co-Lab (I’m attending the workshop run by the amazing Tania De Rozario, whom I met a decade ago in Singapore!).

There’s always something new to learn and a new perspective to gain.

I like the challenge of improving my skill at something, and being open to how that improvement might look like.

4. Prioritize

Life as a teen and young adult were super stressful for me because I was scatterbrained.

I had a lot of passions and couldn’t decide what to focus on. I wanted to be a hairstylist, a psychologist, designer, writer, or legal secretary depending on the day / mood / circumstance.

It was only when I sat down to learn about basic personal finance that I became more serious in thinking of a practical career path that could offer me a reliable source of income.

I know things aren’t exactly reliable with AI threatening to replace many jobs, but I did what I could to move away from the freelance life (it wasn’t really working out for me).

Seeing to some big and basic priorities helps provide a source of stability for me, which is nice to have when I start drifting away in creative writing land.

5. SMART goals

I’ve always loved setting goals, and a SMART goal in particular is:

Specific: What do you want to achieve in concrete terms?

Measurable: How do you track the progress of hitting your goal?

Achievable: Is your goal realistic?

Relevant: How worthwhile is this goal, and is now the right time for it?

Time-bound: What do your deadlines look like?

Having clear goals that you can refer to will help you stay on track.

End Note

By the way, I used to work for Optimal Living Daily podcast which does feature the advice of many productivity experts.

Check out their website in the link above, or listen to the show here: