Tuesday Tips: Stress

I am a big believer in routine. I write at the same time every day. I don't wait for inspiration or the muse. I just do it without it being optional. Like seat belts or brushing my teeth.

As you can see from recent posts I have been in a stress filled time that has badly disrupted my routine. My daily writing, blogging, attending my writers groups and even conferences.

This is compounded by the fact I am working on more than one project at a time. That violates one of my other rules. Focus on a single thing.

So here is how I will handle the stress:

• Forgive myself for the disruption. I won't let the regret of lost time add to the stress.
• Get organized. I will literally update my calendar and planner. Prioritize and plan.
• Eat right and exercise. This always makes my writing time more productive.
• Just do it. At risk of sounding like a sneaker commercial, just do it. This is often the toughest step. I could do all the other steps and if I didn't just do it, nothing would get done. That would add to the stress.

--Avoid the snowballing of stress. The "Just Do it" step will let the air out of your stress bubble.