Rest Is Your Answer To A Productive Writing Session

Art For Art's Sake: Part 13

Apr 20, 2022

Photo by Aleksandar Cvetanovic on Unsplash

"Man is not a beast of burden. Yes, we have important duties - to our country, to our coworkers, to provide for our families. Many of us have talents and gifts that are so extraordinary that we owe it to ourselves and the world to express and fulfill them. But we're not going to be able to do that if we're not taking care of ourselves, or if we have stretched ourselves to the breaking point."
- Ryan Holiday, Stillness is the Key

I have come to learn about two types of rest as an artist and writer.

One is physical rest, and the other is a rested state of mind.

Let's talk about it one at a time.

Physical Rest

Did you know that we can focus with maximum concentration only for four hours a day?

Anything more than that, and we are using up our tank quicker than we could replenish it.

Yet we cramp every waking moment of our day with tasks, errands and meetings. And when we do find spaces to sit and relax, we force work in there as well, just so we can stay ahead in the game.

Doing this is a sure-shot way of catapulting yourself into burnout and early quitting. And that's exactly what was happening to me.

Earlier, I used to think I had to write whenever I get the time. And if, by chance, I got the whole day to myself, I would spend the whole day pushing my word count.

I thought I had to write 2000 words like Stephen King or five to six hours like Haruki Murakami. I unknowingly treated my writing with a hustle culture mentality.

Not a good idea!

Treating my writing session with that attitude made me hate it. And that's not what I wanted. So when I stepped back to see where I was going wrong, I found the answer.

It was in knowing my limit.

My daily writing limit is two hours.

Anything more than that is reserved for the days when I am super high on energy (which is something that doesn't happen every day.) Two hours is the sweet spot where I enjoy what I am writing and feel like I accomplished a good chunk of the work while also making sense of what I was writing.

What do I do with the rest of the time?

I work on admin stuff. But then I also rest and recharge for the next day's two hours writing session.

Naps, going on walks, listening to music, spending time with my mother, getting 8-9 hours of sleep, reading, watching my favourite movies. These help me get the physical rest I need. They give me a break to breathe and just be.

And as a result, I feel fresh and rejuvenated.

Rested State Of Mind

We writers, as well as other creatives, can't work in an agitated state.

We may be writing about something born out of agitation, but when we sit down to write the words, we need a calm and free-of-noise mind to frame our thoughts to the best of our capabilities.

When we sit down to write, we can't be thinking of the dishes that need cleaning or the bill that needs paying. We can't be disturbed by all the other things we have to do. We can't be bothered by unwanted presence. We can't be in a rush.

We need to be alone with ourselves and our thoughts.

When I write from an agitated, confused state of mind, what I write makes no sense. Later heavy editing is required. But when I write with my sole focus on the piece at hand, my thoughts and words flow in favour of it. Such a piece of writing requires very few edits.

Now this state of mind is difficult to find and maintain. We are constantly disturbed and distracted by the world around us. There is always something that needs our immediate attention.

I combat this situation with two solutions.

One - I write when I am usually the least disturbed.

For me, this is the post-lunch time when my family is in a siesta of sorts.

If in the mornings I am disturbed every half an hour, I am disturbed once an hour in the afternoons. Since there's nothing ideal in the world, I'll take the afternoons.

Two - I do something restful before my writing session.

Naps, reading a book, watching an episode or two of Friends, having coffee - these prep and pep me up for the writing session.

So now, during the writing session, I am awake and engrossed in my writing.