Self-Care

Quick Link: How We’ve Ruined Our Brains in This Modern Era

by

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

As I write this post I have five firefox windows with multiple tabs open, a photoshop session, my music, my phone is in front of me where I can see it and lots of background things going on. C. S. Lakin would be appalled since pretty much proves her post at Live Write Thrive.

~ * ~

How We’ve Ruined Our Brains in This Modern Era

Ah, distraction. The bane of our modern existence. Face it—we are going to be deluged with distractions every waking moment of the day. Unless you’ve found a way to live in a bubble or at the top of a mountain, deep in a cave, you probably are going to have some distractions. Even then, that water dripping from the ceiling in a steady rhythm is going to start distracting us.

I think the problem is worse than we know. Because decades ago, we just didn’t have the kinds of distractions we have now. And because we are so used to being connected online to everyone else in the world (or so it seems) around the clock, it’s more a problem of our habits than anything else.

So now we’re going to go deep into the “C” of our Productivity ABCs: our choices, which impact our behavior. And retraining our brain is a choice writers need to make if they’re to be super productive.

How We’ve Ruined Our Brain

For instance, my brain is now so used to derailing at any given second, even when I’m backpacking alone in the Sierras, away from any cell phone signals, it takes me days to decompress and allow my brain to settle into what feels like a natural state of being and observation. I have to confess I now take my phone and solar charger with me so I can read and play games and listen to music on my phone while out in the wilderness. But I’m thinking of making a resolution to leave the tech back in civilization. Because it’s starting to control me and not the other way around.

Read the full post on Live Write Thrive

~ * ~

If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com or leave a message below.

Quick Link: Stop Worrying About What People Think and Create Anyway

by

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

I have to be honest, I am sharing this article because it really hits home for me. If you are like me and worry about putting yourself out there, then this article is for you and you are not alone. Head on over to Postive Writer and read the article by Bryan Hutchinson. If this article is not for you, please share how you deal with this anxiety!

~ * ~

Stop Worrying About What People Think and Create Anyway

by Bryan Hutchinson

One of the surest ways to find unhappiness and limit your creativity is worrying about what others think of you or your work.

It’s true, and I am guilty of it. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

When we worry about what other people are doing, achieving or receiving, we steal valuable energy and confidence from ourselves and we start to doubt that we are good enough.

And yet, there’s worse:

The worst comes when you inhibit yourself because you’re too concerned with what someone thinks of you.

Of course, we should have some concern about our image, what we do and what people think of us, especially if we want to be sociable and get along. However, there have been times when I’ve carried this too far and worried incessantly.

To use blogging as an example, I’ve kept posts in my drafts for weeks on end, sometimes not posting at all, simply to avoid criticism from those who are impossible to please.

Oh yes, if you haven’t realized it yet (and I am sure you have), there are people who cannot and will not be pleased and if you are a people pleaser, then writing, blogging, creating art, or doing just about anything publicly might not be for you.

Blogging opens me up to the world, so, of course, there are going to be people who disagree with my ideas and opinions and to a degree, I expected that.

But I’ll be honest, I had no idea that there would be people out there who hate what I write and who go to obsessive lengths to make sure I know it.

It’s not an enjoyable experience and if you can relate, here’s a unique solution you might find helpful.

Read the full post on Postive Writer

~ * ~

If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com or leave a message below.

Quick Link: How to deal with writer envy

by

Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.

~ * ~

How to deal with writer envy

by Jodi Gibson

Envy
noun
1. a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else’s possessions, qualities, or luck

There’s no denying we all feel envy at one time or another. And in the writing game, sometimes more than we’d like.

It begins with something relatively small, and then builds, slowly.

Like when other writers seem like they have a suitcase full of story ideas and you can’t even think of one.

Or, seeing other writers who have come onto the scene later than you, scoring agents and publishing deals.

Watching other writer’s social media profiles steadily build, while your still stuck on 499 Twitter followers.

Or when you pick up a newly published book from a brand new author, read the first page and wonder to yourself how ‘this!’ was published!

Writer envy isn’t pretty. And it can manifest deep within, growing like a tumour until it turns you into a bitter, twisted, wanna-be author.

But envy is natural. We feel it because we want something so badly. It’s not that we resent the person or their success, it’s just that we wish it was us!

So, what should you do when you feel that pang of envy gurgling deep in your gut?

~ * ~

If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com or leave a message below.