As I adjust to 50-plus hours a week spent writing for a living, I struggle more than ever to awake my creative mind at the end of a long day’s worth of work. Don’t get me wrong, I love writing for money. I am very grateful to be transforming my passion into my career. But it also means certain adjustments to my lifestyle. My daily writing for a tech magazine does not necessarily suit the creative prose I try to take on for my own pleasure. Nor does it fit in with my theme here on Charlotte’s Web. Suddenly I have these different (and sometimes clashing) writing personalities to unleash and I’m finding it difficult to distinguish between them all.
This is where I make my excuses for slacking on the blog posts lately. I am working to find the appropriate balance right now between all of these various writing platforms, and it is not an easy task.
The good part is I am writing. Probably more than ever, actually. Obviously this means setting certain priorities, and right now those priorities are the writing jobs I am getting paid for. So unfortunately blogging and creative writing are being pushed to the side for the next little while. On the bright side, I have some more great guest posts coming up on Charlotte’s Web, so you will still have lots of reading material here. And I hope you will be patient with me as I go through this transition.
But you can count on the fact I will be writing about it. It just might take a little more time than usual. I have all of these ideas flowing through my head, then when I finally get the chance to sit down at my computer and write about them, the words are all gone. I used them up already at the 9 to 5. And then again during my evening freelance work, when I scraped up the last bits of what was left. I’m all written out.
Do you have any tips for finding the right balance? Feel free to share in the comments below.
Mary-Anne
/ June 15, 2012Like you said, the beauty is that you are writing more! The balance will come in time as you pave the wave for yourself career wise. Sometimes I feel my creativity depleting when I’m busy with work too. Once you unleash the secret to the balance, share your wisdom
Always proud of you, Carly!
carlybumstead
/ June 15, 2012So true. It is always hard adjusting your routine, as it seems to affect all areas of your life (sleep, creativity, brain power– okay, perhaps all of which are determined by sleep). Sometimes something has got to give so that you can put your best effort into other areas though, I guess. Thanks for the sweet comment MA
carlybumstead recently posted..Writing for a Living: Finding the Right Balance
Elaine Jackson
/ June 15, 2012When I teach balance exercises it really is more about falling down and getting up again than it is about stillness. I don’t think “balance” exists except as a conceptual ideal. We can really stress ourselves out if we have specific expectations about the number of hours we work and so on. Sometimes our desires (e.g. great career, down-payment on house) mean less time for other goals and plans. But as John Lennon said, “life is what happens when we’re making other plans.” I worry about balance all the time, but I guess balance is what you make it. I’m trying to let go of it as an ideal and instead trying to practice it day by day and hour by hour. Thanks for this balancing moment of procrastination…back to the mines for me.
carlybumstead
/ June 15, 2012I love this Elaine! Of course you’d be the one to talk to about balance. I like you’re philosophy– balance is what you make it. And as long as we stay flexible, we’ll be able to find the right balance to fit our current lifestyle.
carlybumstead recently posted..Writing for a Living: Finding the Right Balance