Greetings from Wilmington and Happy Monday.

This week’s obsession is the value of taking breaks.

You might have noticed that I’m coming to you on Monday instead of the usual Friday. That’s because my wife and I are just back from a mini mid-week break - no dogs, no work, no phones, and no newsletter. The result? I’m refreshed, recharged, and rarin’ to go.

If you’re reading this, my guess is that you’re the sort of person with big dreams. The kind of person who tends to view productivity as a cardinal virtue. Who is likely to answer “work harder” when faced with a challenge.

That’s awesome - the world needs ambitious, enthusiastic, and productive writers and creators.

The problem is that we industrious types have another tendency: burnout.

My most comprehensive experience with burnout happened right after I got tenure. I had spent six years researching and writing without anything resembling a complete break. I went on vacations with the family but I had not mastered the art of turning off my brain.

Ecstatic after I got tenure, I looked forward to a well-earned sabbatical. A full semester off without teaching, advising, or faculty meetings. My plan was to get a jump start on my next book project and I dreamed of making rapid progress.

I’ll spare you the suspense. I didn’t write a single word on my sabbatical. At first I thought I was just getting used to having so much freedom. Then, I thought maybe there was something wrong with my book topic. Nope. Turns out, I was so burned out that my brain was incapable of either doing research or writing about it.

As someone who made their living doing these things, I was ashamed. I didn’t mention my lack of productivity to anyone. I thought there was something wrong with me. I stopped even trying to write and spent my time doing other things. After the holidays, with the new semester looming, I dreaded going back to campus and facing my book project.

Then a funny thing happened. I drove to campus and sat down in my office. I booted up my computer and instead of updating my syllabi as I had intended, I found myself noodling through my book project files. I looked up a couple hours later and realized that apparently I was cured.

It eventually occurred to me that my brain and my body were exhausted by the race to get tenure. In the years that followed, I realized I was not alone. Many of my younger colleagues admitted to me they had the same problem after they got tenure. As a writing coach, I have counseled dozens of writers dealing with burnout from pushing too hard for too long.

Over the years I’ve learned a few tricks to avoid burnout. They are quite simple. But for most people like us they are often difficult to implement.

• Make realistic 12 week plans. Don’t try to do too much. You’re an ambitious person, so this is much easier said than done. Having overfull plans causes stress and pushes you to work too much.
• Don’t beat yourself up for moving slowly. You will be annoyed to move at a sustainable pace when you know you could go faster. Remind yourself that steady wins the race in the long run and that you are being smart, not lazy.
• Take breaks as often as you need them. Everyone’s situation is different. Don’t follow anyone else’s rhythm. Take breaks when you need them to keep your writing enjoyable and rewarding. When things start feeling like a grind, slow down or take a break.

If you master these strategies, you will enjoy a long and productive career as a writer.

Reply and let me know how you manage burnout.

Happy writing,

Trevor