It’s especially hard when you value and practice a writing habit. And like all habits, if practiced to the extreme it can start to be harmful. Exercise is good, but you can’t exercise 24 hours a day or your body will fall apart.

So, it’s important to build in times of rest when you take a break from writing. The breaks can be just as important as the times when you’re active. Without breaks, your creativity doesn’t have time to marinate.

Plus, nobody likes a workaholic or someone who only talks and thinks about their work all the time. It’s not good to live an unbalanced life.

So, make sure to take a break. Your health, mental energy, and your very life might depend upon it. These next few days after Christmas are a great opportunity to relax, take a breather, and catch your breath. There’s more to life than getting more writing done.

Question: How do you plan on spending the next few days before New Year’s?

The post Take a Break appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

That’s an unhealthy way to look at life. It’s also a great way to get burned out.

The faith community has long recognized the value of rest. The book of Genesis tells us that God Himself, after working so hard on the six days of creation, took time to rest.

If God saw fit to take a day of rest, doesn’t it follow that we should do the same?

It’s important to build a day of rest into your weekly schedule. Not only that, you must rest each day by getting enough sleep. I also suggest taking a midday nap. Many of the world’s greatest thinkers and creatives had a regular napping habit.

Rest is not lazy. Rest is essential. Sometimes the very best thing you can do for your creativity and productivity is rest. You’re not Superman (or Superwoman) and you’re not God. You need your rest.

It just might be the most important thing you do today.

Question: Are you building rest into your daily and weekly schedule?

The post Resting: Create Space in Your Life appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.

After you have prepared by tilling the soil of your mind, planted by keeping track of your ideas, watered your mind by reading, pruned the dead weight from your schedule, and harvested your creativity by getting your writing done, it’s important to celebrate by enjoying your success.

For some reason, writers have a hard time being content with their success. Maybe it’s jealousy or a mentality that says whatever they have achieved, it’s not enough. Maybe it’s an attitude they inherited from their family that they can never measure up.

Whatever the case, it’s vital to recognize that when you write, you have done something worth celebrating. It doesn’t need to be a giant ego boost. You can celebrate in a way that inspires others and doesn’t put yourself in the spotlight.

When you accomplish something worthwhile, take a moment to stop and recognize the value of what you’ve done. Take pride in your work. Enjoy your success.

If you don’t develop this habit of celebration, you will never be happy with your achievements. How sad would it be to work so hard but never feel satisfied?

Question: Are you taking time to celebrate your success?

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Over the past six days, we have been through a key cycle in the creative life of a writer: preparing, planting, watering, pruning, harvesting, and celebrating. This is the cycle of growth we go through again and again as we pursue higher levels of growth.

In the Western world, we are used to jumping back in again right after we achieve something. We live in a workaholic culture that says our value is directly tied to our output. If you want to be valuable, you must constantly produce, right?

That’s an unhealthy way to look at life, and it’s also a great way to get burned out. The faith community has long recognized the value of rest. The book of Genesis tells us that God Himself, after working so hard on the six days of creation, took time to rest.

If God saw fit to step back, take a look at His creative work and call it “good,” then take a day of rest, why do we think we don’t need a day of rest also?

It’s important to build a day of rest into your weekly schedule. Not only that, but you must rest each day by getting enough sleep, and dare we say, taking a midday nap. Many of the world’s greatest thinkers and creatives had a regular napping habit.

Rest is not lazy, and rest is not a shortcut. Rest is essential. Sometimes the very best thing you can do for your creativity and productivity is rest. You’re not Superman (or Superwoman) and you’re not God. You need your rest. It just might be the most important thing you do today.

The post Resting: Create Space in Your Life appeared first on Daily Writer | Essential Habits for Impact & Influence.