How to Combat Writer’s Fatigue

And stop putting so much pressure on yourself.

If you’re a writer, you are probably reading this and have experienced some writer’s fatigue. It’s a common symptom for writers.

It is the end of the year, crunch time.

On top of it being crunch time, it’s the holiday season, so we have the extra pressure of gift shopping, parties to attend, obligations to check off, and family to manage.

You may be trying to earn an income from writing, and why you’ve come to Medium as a side hustle. If you write every day, as I do, a writer’s fatigue is a real thing and can lead to burnout.

Writing is a lonely gig. We write in isolation. We spend the majority of our time in our heads ruminating over ideas to parse out, and thoughts to consider, it can be exhausting, especially if you write stories close to your heart based on experiences you’ve had.

Six months writing on Medium has flown by. I’ve been living, eating, and breathing writing. And it is working. My income keeps going in the direction I want it to, UP!

I wake up thinking, ‘Medium, what will I write today?’

I go to bed thinking, ‘What will I write tomorrow for Medium?’

I wake up at 2:00 am, thinking, ‘MEDIUM. Oh Medium WHAT WILL I WRITE FOR YOU LATER WHEN THE SUN COMES UP! Is it time to get up yet, can I start writing now. Is it too early to write.’

Warning signs you are experiencing writer’s fatigue

• Lack of sound sleep
• Crying a lot
• Irritability
• Negativity toward your writing
• Lack of creativity
• Lack of productivity
• Boredom, headaches, extreme fatigue
• Biting off your loved one’s heads

I’ve experienced all of these symptoms since writing every day for at least half a year. I’ve cried more in the past six months than I have in the past three years.

While my bank account is fatter, I’m losing precious sleep — it is not sustainable for my health, my attitude, my tolerance level.

I need my sleep. I have a child who needs me; I can’t be curt, rude, and impatient — all results of not getting a quality eight hours.

I know myself, and sleep is an essential ingredient for my productivity, without it, or with less of it, I’m a walking zombie, unable to focus, useless. Without the appropriate amount of sleep, I’m a walking time bomb ready to explode at the smallest perturbance, my tolerance for the slightest inconvenience, like someone, yet again, cutting me off in traffic, at an all-time low — not a happy place to reside.

Then I read Brian Rowe’s post on his lack of consistent sleep, and I felt sane again.

He started writing for Medium about six months before I started, so I look to him for guidance. I was relieved when I read he has had a similar experience with his sleep since his writing increased. And like the human I am, I felt better; I wasn’t alone.

How to fight writing fatigue for the exhausted writer so you can keep writing

Write less

I keep saying I will start to post more than once a day, but for me, once a day is the sweet spot. Plus, honestly, I don’t feel like I can post more than once a day and maintain quality writing, or my sanity.

While I have said before, that quantity is vital on Medium, because it is, quality has the edge above quantity.

If you want to make money from your writing and have a career, it is essential to work on the quality of your writing first. I’m sticking to one post a day for now.

Bank blog posts during the weekend or when you have large chunks of time to write

I have found it easier to write a few quality posts on the weekends when I have huge chunks of time to write.

Not that you shouldn’t write when you have time, you should, even if it is ten minutes at a time. If you only have ten minutes a day to write, do that. Those ten minutes add up and improve your writing over time. However, I have found that when I have large chunks of writing time, I’m able to sharpen my writing skills more efficiently.

If you’ve ever reached the flow state, you know the value of long periods of uninterrupted writing. The first 15 minutes can be a struggle. Thirty minutes in, you’ve hit a groove, and after an hour or so, you reach a flow state — time flies. You look up and don’t know where the hours have gone, and you have a lot of writing to show for your time.

And then you edit.

Stop and smell the roses

I don’t believe in writer’s block. You either write or don’t. If you are experiencing what writer’s call writer’s block, it probably means you are fighting sitting in the chair, you don’t want to write.

When I don’t want to write, it usually means I’m not feeding other areas of my life, and I feel like I have nothing to say.

It usually means I have taken too many days off from writing, or I’m writing too much.

When I take too many days away from writing (more than two), it’s harder to face a blank screen and a blinking cursor. When I don’t take any days off from writing, my ideas dry up, I’m too focused on one idea, I’m not living in the world, I start seeing friends less, I find I socialize less, I listen to fewer podcasts and read fewer blocks. I have less time just to be, so I think less, and my ideas become stale and boring.

There is a balance, a line to walk, between always writing and writing and living as well.

If I’m stuck behind my computer all the time that isn’t living. And as writers, we need to live; we need to experience, we need to have the time and space to ponder new ideas, so we have something new to pour into our writing.

Power nap

A 20-minute power nap can help fight fatigue and keep you writing. Napping boosts energy and gives you that extra push to keep writing. I have been taking a quick nap after I write in the morning, and it has changed my attitude, increased my positivity and output.

Step away

Step away from your writing for a breather.

I’ll clean the kitchen. I know most people don’t like to clean, but I love to clean. It relaxes me. While cleaning, I’ll listen to a podcast or just have silence so I can download my thoughts. Cleaning is meditative for me. I love washing dishes and scrubbing floors. Before you invite me over to your house, know that I only like to clean my mess — not other people’s.

Change your scenery

I have moved my writing desk four times to different areas of my office this past year.

First, it was positioned squarely in front of my window. That worked for a while, but then I noticed I was staring out the window for large amounts of time, daydreaming about whatever. I have an active fantasy life, so I moved my desk.

I moved it so it was right up against a wall. Looking at a beige wall worked for a while, but then it felt depressing like I was in writing jail.

I moved it again, and I think I found the perfect spot for it because I have been writing a lot, and I haven’t had the desire to move it in a while.

Change the subject

I write about heavy, personal topics. When I’m feeling drained, I switch it up and write about something other than relationships.

The beauty of Medium, and why I find it hard to get bored here, reading and writing, is you can write about anything. If I were confined to one topic, I would not write nearly as much as I do. I love to mix it up and often do.

If you change the subject or think outside the box on a topic you’ve mastered, it will keep your writing fresh and your fatigue to a minimum.

Write on.

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Jessica is a writer, an online entrepreneur, and a recovering type-A personality. She lives in Los Angeles with her extrovert daughter, two dogs, and two cats.