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Swimming with the Funk​

This is not a post about a musical movement, or polluted waters, but what happens when life gets in the way. Maybe you can relate to this.

I’ve had a month of particularly bad luck. So apologies for being somewhat silent on this blog of late – life’s been handing me ginormous lemons and I’ve had neither the will nor the juicer to turn that much sour fruit into lemonade.

I’ve had every intention of writing, but each time I’ve sat at the keyboard, something pulled me in a different direction. Eventually, I gave into the momentum, let it take me for a little while, and decided to put my writing to the side. Other things can be more important than writing a book (or a blog post).

And that’s the point I want to make – life ebbs and flows, we have times when things are going well, and other times that are challenging. Make headspace for dealing with things and don’t feel guilty about taking time off.

There is good news though – I decided that my run of bad luck ended last Saturday and that I would dip my toes back into writing. But that in itself seemed as scary as the latest Halloween movie.

How would I find the momentum I’d previously had?

I have a secret – something I’ve learned on my travels. It never fails.

Set yourself a laughably small goal. For me, it was to write one new chapter over the course of the weekend (approximately 1,600 words). I knew I could do that. I had all day Saturday and all day Sunday to achieve that goal. And of course, once the weekend rolled around, I actually wrote two new chapters and edited 10 more.

If I had set myself that more challenging goal – write two new chapters and edit 10 more – I might have felt overwhelmed and gone to the movies instead (but definitely not to watch Halloween. Have you seen the poster? It’s terrifying).

Instead, I beat my goal, broke my writing funk and had a sense of achievement. I felt hopeful again!

So, wherever you are, if life is beating you down, know that things are cyclical, that most states are temporary. Swim along with the funk, instead of resisting it. And when you’re done dealing with life, commit to a tiny goal that sets you back on the path to where you want to be.

It really works.

Yours in creativity,

Jackie