Work Life Balance for Authors

Its funny, in my 9-to-5 job, there has been a push to understand and focus on the work life balance lately. Which, of course, makes me think of what my work life balance looks like as an author. And if I'm honest? It really sucks.

I have boasted before that I am always an author. Which is true, whether I'm sleeping or making pasta or watching Netflix on the couch for four hours straight. I'm always an author because everything that happens to me, that I experience, is fuel for my writing. In that sense, there is no work life balance for me. On the other hand, the hours I sit at a computer and write? Yeah, I could use some balance there.

I have, in the past, created my own work life balance with writing without trying. The problem is, without focus and a clear path for how I was going to do it, it turned out--- well, poorly. For example, I don't think I wrote anything, not a single word, the first three years I was in college. Not the best in terms of "balance". More recently, I took the entire month of December off. I didn't do a single thing that could be related to my writing work. Was that good for my mental health? Probably. Was it good for my goals? Not a chance.

My goal for 2020 is to really work hard to make times for the things I love. That includes writing. Trying to manage a 9-to-5, a social life, and writing is hard, but its worth it. I don't know exactly how I plan on doing this yet, but I have made some baby steps. I have outlined the things I want to do and have scheduled out times to do them in my planner. Have I looked at that planner since? No. But I tried.

My plans for February include a lot of re-writes and a lot of edits, but the real goal is to find time to do that while maintaining my social life and remaining happy overall. I find I am most motivated to work when I take the time to take care of myself first. So that's what I'm going to do.