Adapt and overcome

This might come as a shock to some writers, I know it did to me, but we also live in the real world!  I know, right?  Sometimes life happens and schedules change.  You know what?  That’s okay.  

I started a more serious exercise program again after going crazy from not moving enough and gaining a couple of extra pounds.  I got over the shock of gaining weight quickly, but did not get over the lack of movement.  So, I restarted my weight training, got back into more serious self-directed martial arts, and upped my running/walking schedule.  I feel so much better.

Here’s the thing...I’m a bit tired.  I’ll adapt quickly, a couple of weeks, but I needed more sleep.  I started dragging badly, getting out of bed.  I felt...icky.  So, I listened to my body and gave myself an extra 15 minutes of sleep in the morning.  

This morning I was up a few minutes before my alarm went off and I felt so much better.  I have one of those daylight alarm clocks that starts brightening the room before the alarm actually goes off.  It made such a difference to my waking up anyways, but I just plain needed more sleep.

I have the advantage that while I have animals to care for, I don’t have children.  I can adjust my schedule however I want, as writing is now my primary occupation.  I still write first thing in the morning, first thing just happens about 15 minutes later now.

As my life and energy levels change, I will adjust things again.  If I start getting up earlier again, I’ll reset my alarm.  I like to aim for a more consistent schedule, as my body feels better when I do.  I had been letting myself stay up later and sleep in later Friday night/Saturday, and I’ll re-evaluate whether or not that’s wise.

I can’t compare my productivity to before because I’m in a completely different stage of writing now than I was then.  What I can do is go by how I feel.  I’ll adapt and overcome as needed, adjusting things to support my writing.  Day one of the change feels good, so I’ll see what day two feels like.  Just like our writing, our lives are not set in stone.  Adapt and overcome!