How do you decide when to take a break and when to push yourself?
This is something that I often struggle with, and today is no exception.
NaNoWriMo forces me to wrestle with this in especially poignant ways.
I’ll give my progress first, so you can see the dilemma:
Progress:
Day 4 Word Count: 1516
Total Word Count: 6684
Where I Planned to Be: 8000
1667 words per day: 6668
My plan for this month was to write 2000 words per day on writing days so that I could take time to spend with my family on Fridays and also have Thanksgiving off.
Right now, I am on track for the official NaNoWriMo count, which counts 1667 words per day (4 days x 1667 = 6668), but you have to write all 30 days without fail. I have met myself and I know I need some breaks, hence the 2000 per day.
Today is Friday. I had planned to take today off. I am a mere 1316 words away from being right on target. I know I can easily reach that word count today if I skip the pizza prep and just show up for dinner. But then, I will not have taken the day off.
It is tempting to get on target. I could catch up in an hour or two, probably.
But like I said, I know I need breaks. Things need to rattle around in my head so that they can come out the way I want them to. And I know that when I don’t take breaks, the muse or writer’s block or anxiety or whatever you want to call it forces me to. I will have major FOMO as my kid and husband hang out together. I’ll resent NaNoWriMo and writing in general, and the block will snowball.
So, I am trying to stay on top of it. I am giving myself a pizza and movie night, even though I am not on track, so that tomorrow, I am refreshed and can go at it hard.
Tomorrow is Double Down Day in the Heart Breathings Word Sprints Facebook Group (highly recommend), and my small group of friends is meeting to write, and my local NaNo group is meeting for a virtual write-in, so my plan is to jump on a little bit of each of those and catch up.
My goal is to write 3316 words tomorrow. Tonight, I get pizza and wine!
How do you decide when to let yourself rest and when to push yourself? Do you have any tips to make the most of resting?