Writing Update #12: How Did August Go?

Today’s post is different and kind of personal. I feel really vulnerable writing about it so please, remember I’m a person and I’m sharing something that has helped me that I’ve learned about. I’m not an expert and I am in no way providing medical advice.

As Taylor Swift says, “August slipped away like a bottle of wine…” and it certainly did, especially when it came to my writing.

I kicked off the month strong and that felt really good but the last two weeks, I hit the burnout train really hard. It’s interesting, and forgive me if this is too personal, but I’ve been tracking my cycle more closely in the last year after I had some health issues. And after doing some research, I’m learning more and more how my productivity is tied to hormones. I honestly fell down this rabbit hole thanks to a TikTok but I’m going to try to put it into practice during the back half of the year.

Here is the TIkTok that inspired me!

Long story short, male hormones replenish every 24 hours. Female, or persons who menstruate, hormones replenish every 23-28 days or over the course of the menstrual cycle. What I took from the video and research I’ve done, is that this means my levels of productivity vary based on how my hormones are making me feel. Looking at where my cycle falls in the month, this makes TOTAL sense to me.

Why does this matter? I always end up feeling emotional, overwhelmed, exhausted, and drained the week leading up to my cycle. I get frustrated and always feel like it comes out of nowhere but it doesn’t! It’s just how my body operates!

Now that I know this, I can plan my work around it. It’s not 100% possible to just sit with my feet up during these hormonal drops, but I can save my “mindless” tasks or small pieces of work for then, so I feel like I’m still accomplishing something but I’m not asking too much of my brain and body.

Now, I am very lucky that I work for myself and have this flexibility. But I think it could be possible for other jobs too!

How does this apply to my writing? Putting way less pressure on myself to write every day and instead put more effort in when I am feeling my best (when I’ve just had my hormones replenish) and then allowing myself the grace to take days off when I feel like I need it.

It’s kind of a cool concept and one I’m grateful I was introduced to. I think it will help me feel less like I’m constantly fighting burn out and more that I am a human being and this Is how I do my best work.

Words Written:

19, 170

How I’m Feeling:

A bit discouraged but also hopeful. I’ve figured out what works for me and I’m pretty clear on where I want both stories to go. Writing two books at once isn’t easy!

Goal for September:

Write 20k words for Project L&N; Write 10k words for Project ADK