Like other introverts, I feel worn down by interacting with people. I love people. I truly do (well, most of them!). But we introverts are wired to get our energy from being alone.

As a result, all the conversations that happen during the week leave me pretty mentally depleted by the time Friday rolls around. So, for the last year or so, I have kept a strict rule: I don’t do any calls or meetings on Fridays.

It has been a massive help knowing that I can do work on Fridays and don’t need to expend emotional energy on conversations. This is my mental “safe zone.”

I used to feel guilty about this, as if being an introvert was a weakness. But I have come to not just accept, but CELEBRATE, the way I’m wired.

It’s important for you to put guard rails around your emotional wiring. If you don’t protect your gift, you will burn out and kill the very thing that makes you so valuable.

I admit that once in a great while, I will do a call on a Friday if it’s absolutely necessary. But I make sure Friday is blocked off on my Calendly calendar. In addition, I always steer clients toward meetings on Mondays or Thursdays if possible.

Even if I’m feeling depleted during the week, I can relax knowing that Friday is a day when I can be my introverted self and can reserve all my energy for writing and other work.

Today’s Challenge: If you’re feeling burned out or mentally depleted, take a look at your schedule. You might need to build a mental safe zone into your week.

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I’m not a therapist (but I’m a ghostwriter, which is close enough!). However, I know we all have hurts and hang-ups holding us back. If you feel stuck, a counselor or therapist can help. But a great way to begin making a fresh start in your life is to clean up your environment. The process of getting rid of material things you no longer need and cleaning your space can give you peace of mind. Don’t wait to do it perfectly. Get started right now and you’ll see what a difference it makes in your emotions, your creativity… and also your writing.Today’s Challenge: Right now, look around you and get rid of a piece of trash or an item you don’t need. Don’t overthink, just do it. This tiny act will empower you to keep going. Well done!

The post Clear the Clutter: Learning to Let Go appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

We all want to have successful books. As artists and storytellers, we want to write a great American novel that is a New York Times bestseller. We want to build a successful business. Or we have some other kind of dream that’s important to us.

That work is important, yes. But it’s not the most important work that you do. Not even close. The most important work you do is on yourself. The best energy you can put into your writing is not the energy that goes into your book, but the energy that goes into your mental and emotional health.

Are you taking care of yourself physically? Are you exercising and eating a decent diet? Do you have friends you can call in times of trouble? Are you involved in some kind of community where you live?

Do you read every day and take a few moments for gratitude or meditation? Are you getting enough rest and hydration? Do you have a hobby or take some time to relax so you don’t spend all your time working?

Those are pretty fundamental questions, but they are important. If you focus on your creative work all the time but neglect working on yourself, you will crash and burn.

I want you to be successful and healthy over the long-haul, not just for the immediate term when you’re working on something that you perceive to be so important.

That work is important, yes. But the most important thing you will ever work on is yourself.

Question: Are you spending time each day working on yourself? In what ways specifically?

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Take a walk to get your blood flowing.

There is a lot of research that shows the correlation between exercise and creativity. It makes us feel better, puts us in a better mood, and helps the blood to flow to our brain. There is also a lot of research showing how bad sitting for extended periods of time is for us.

No matter which way you slice it, taking a walk is a great way to get your blood pumping, contribute to your overall health, and clear your head. If you struggle with depression or just feel cooped up a lot of the time, taking a walk is one of the best things you can do to boost your productivity and become a healthier version of yourself.

Søren Kierkegaard, the great philosopher, once said, “I walked myself into my best thoughts.” The same is probably true for all of us if we take the time to go for a short walk each day.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been stuck, or just felt like I was in a funk, and taking a walk around the block did the trick. I felt better and got the blood really flowing again.

Plus, I encourage you to take your phone and dictate some writing while you’re walking, so you’re getting extra value out of that time.

Or you can also do what I often do… which is listen to some 80’s music while you’re moving. I mean, let’s face it… there’s no debate that the 80s was the best decade for music. Am I right?

Question: Do you integrate walking or exercising as part of your regular routine, and how does it help your writing and creativity?

The post Writing Habits Practice #7: Take a Walk appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

We all wish for success… but sometimes we forget that it comes at a price.

Take Harper Lee, for example. She published the classic American novel To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960 when she was just 34 years old. Considering that many successful authors don’t get started until their 40s, she was practically a baby by most standards of literary success.

But the success of To Kill a Mockingbird overwhelmed her and Harper Lee never wrote another novel again. Success had come too quickly, and it was too huge, for her to handle. She once said, “When you’re at the top, there’s only one way to go.” She spent the rest of her life making sure that she would never risk putting out another work that would stain her reputation or cause her even more emotional distress.

That’s not to say every writer would respond that way to great fame, fortune, and success. Harper Lee had her own demons and no one but her will ever know exactly what was going on inside her head. But her life acts as a stark warning to all of us who dream of having that #1 bestseller, being on all the talk shows, or getting all the attention we ever wanted.

Be careful what you wish for because as Harper Lee has warned us, success can be both a blessing AND a curse.

Daily Question: Does the thought of great writing success scare you? Why or why not?

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We writers have a reputation for taking everything personally. Many of us would describe ourselves as introverted artists who are highly sensitive. As such, we tend to absorb other people’s emotions and have a hard time letting things go.

Am I right? Or am I right?

This can make it hard when trying to build an audience and keeping your readers in mind. Here’s one way to approach life: take nothing personally. Remember that every comment, every review, everything other people say has more to do with their perspective and emotional state than it does you.

This is where your skills of observation as a writer can come in handy. Whenever someone says something you don’t like, or makes a negative or critical observation, examine it like a doctor does a patient. See if it’s true and make a correction if needed. But do so without emotion or feeling that it reflects on your personal worth or identity.

Nobody said this was easy. It’s not. But it’s absolutely necessary if you are going to keep your sanity and remain emotionally healthy.

Daily Question: Would you say it’s hard or easy for you to not take things personally? Why or why not?

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On this episode, we dive into a topic that may seem disconnected from writing. However, depression and other mental health issues affect writers just like they do everyone else.

In fact, writers and other creative types may be more at risk than the average person. Why? Because we already have lots of internal battles going on, and we tend to stay isolated.

I don’t have all the answers, but I do have a story. So on this episode, I share my decades-long journey through depression and how I learned to deal with it (most of the time).

Specifically, I share 5 lies I believed about depression and why each one is false:

Lie #1: I can manage my depression on my own.

Lie #2: Self-medicating my pain is an effective coping strategy.

Lie #3: I have no control over the forces that make my depression worse.

Lie #4: I don’t need professional help.

Lie #5: My struggle with depression means that I am deficient in some way.

Over the last few years I have learned to manage my depression pretty effectively. I still have occasional days when it gets the best of me, but it doesn’t have nearly the grip on my life it once did.

Life is hard enough as it is. When you add battling depression into the mix, it gets infinitely tougher. If you believe one or more of these five lies, it will pull you down even further. If you’re struggling with depression, I strongly encourage you to seek professional help. Make the choice today to get healthier not only for yourself, but for those you love.

If you are thinking of harming yourself, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255.

Thanks for Listening!

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The post An Honest Conversation About Depression & Mental Health appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.