by Leo Wiles
31 May 2017
I’ve been working round the clock on a heap of projects, and I’m so burned out and tired. I’ve had some family issues to deal with on top of work, and there’s no end in sight as I still have stuff due fairly regularly for the next month. There’s no handing this off or sharing it; I have bills to pay. And here’s the kicker: a LOT of what I have to write is humour. Anyone who has to be ‘funny’ for their job will know how incredibly hard it is when you’re truly exhausted. How do I push through? NinaHey Nina, thanks for writing in. I have to say, I read your question and literally thought, this gal needs a good, long sleep! I really feel for you because it’s much harder to be funny when you’re tired, rather than just going through the motions on a topic you know back to front. Although this can happen with any project; your brain literally is so tired it can’t even see a way around starting something you’d have no problem finishing in record time when you’re well-rested.
Self-care is crucial for everyone, but particularly for creatives who need to take regular breaks, get quality sleep and take steps to safeguard their mental health. And on that note, my all time favourite way of dealing with this kind of myopia and overwhelm is simply walking away. Making room for the story to breathe new life and perspective, or better still, sleeping on it. Sure, you can try and bully yourself into writing, but I always find a few hours away from some troublesome copy can really change how you approach it and wrestle with it.
Obviously when you are on deadline or have other tasks jockeying for position, this isn’t always feasible – so my plan B is call a fellow freelancer and brainstorm it. Even talking about it can sometimes reignite my enthusiasm, and remind me why I pitched the piece in the first place, or give me a new angle. Do you have any colleagues who also write humour or who are just naturally funny? Sometimes, asking for their take on something can help get your funny bone working again, and give you some new perspectives to work from. The idea here is not to steal their ideas or quote them without asking, but to shake up your thought patterns and get back into the ‘I can do this’ mindset.
You could also try writing in new locations to see if that sparks your creativity; a notebook and a pen in the park rather than a laptop – or something truly distraction-free and scary, like The Most Dangerous Writing App (we wrote about it here). It literally deletes your work if you stop typing for five seconds. That’s enough to motivate anyone to keep going!
The other options of course are to take a proper break and appreciate the work of other hilarious people. Favourite movies, humorous books, amusing bloggers you follow, catching some good stand-up… all are great for yanking you out of your malaise and helping you see the funny side. And hopefully, get your brain firing.
What do you do when you’re exhausted, can’t write – but have deadlines to meet?
Dearest Leo , spot on gal ! I always say “better to be well rested than well prepared ” Brevity is the wit of the soul. With that I’m off to the Land of Nod. K.B.O. ~m
I have had a few really frantic weeks – a big content piece (a 20-page magazine), plus website editing, a few freelance stories and two days a week subbing. The extra money was great, but I was exhausted!
However, I always managed to fit in a few essentials: my Sunday morning yoga class and a twice weekly run. These two activities only need a total of about three hours a week and I think anyone can find that amount of time. Exercise also means that I am way more efficient, so I really believe that finding the time to exercise actually saves me time overall. As Leo says, you need some self-care. It’s not being soft, it’s actually good business practice.