Finally, your vacation starts! This is a perfect time to relax and have some rest. However, this might also be an ideal time to finish your writing projects.
At the same time, you want to use this chance and become revived. Writing during your vacation is a good idea, but you need to approach it carefully and wisely.
While holidays provide you with plenty of time, you need to know how to manage that chunk.
Before immersing yourself into another academic article, read this post, and learn how to plan everything carefully.
The basics of holiday writing you definitely need to know
Before you start planning your creative activity, read these simple tips. They are exceptionally efficient for large and complicated projects.
· Have enough rest
It’s your vacation, after all! Intellectual activity is energy-consuming, so you need to balance your work and rest. Remember, if you are too tired, you won’t create a real masterpiece. Your brain needs fuel, and you should provide it. Eat healthy food, drink enough water, sleep well, and do some exercises (or at least, have regular walks).
· Divide your task into small parts
It is hard to approach an overwhelming project, so you should break it into chunks. This way, you will manage everything easier and estimate the progress.
· Reflect on your results
Every time you finish a part of your project, ask yourself some questions. What was well, and what needs improvement? Is there something you need to change? What are the problems you face and why? Try different methods and improve your approaches – your holiday time is a perfect period for experiments.
· Set frames
When you are too busy during your working year, it seems that everything you need is more time. However, once you get more time, you start procrastinating and doing useless stuff. If this is familiar to you, then try using constraints. Restrict the time you devote to writing, find the best hours to have some rest, and this might help you be more productive.
· Don’t force yourself
If you don’t feel like writing today – just don’t do that. And what is even more important – don’t blame yourself for such days. Crisis and delays are integral parts of the working process, so perceive them as something natural.
Avoid the burn-out
So you have been working the whole year round, and now you plan to work more. The main risk here is to start feeling burned our even before you sit at your desk to write. What is more, when you decide to work during your holidays, you might perceive it as a special event. Special events need special preparations. Your perfectionism will definitely force you to arrange everything, do some cleaning, make the light ideal, and choose your best clothes to wear. Just kidding, but make sure that your expectations about the vacation writing sessions are not too high.
The main problem that might occur here is an overestimation. You need to set realistic goals instead of planning to do everything in the world and then failing. You are not a superman, are you? When your expectations are way too high, there is a small chance that you will meet them entirely. As a result, you will feel guilty, frustrated, and tired. Don’t let your self-doubt arise, because negative thinking is the most unproductive thing ever.
Don’t be afraid to change the approaches
As an academician, you have to change your methods and never stick to a single one. Planning and time management techniques can vary according to current conditions. In general, there are two core approaches here:
· Everyday writing
If you have enough time, you can devote all of your days to writing. When you don’t have any other responsibilities, just move in your pace and do some work. However, for some authors, everyday writing is not linked to high productivity. Indeed, this is a pleasant activity, but it is hard to produce something really great that frequently. As a result, when writing becomes a background of your routine, you might have problems with self-estimation and reflection. Some academicians choose the other approach described below.
· Time-blocking technique
This approach encourages you to switch between activities. Well, if you have family duties and other responsibilities, you have no chance but to use this one. However, even if you don’t, this approach is worth your attention. Try to write less and devote your time to different activities, like reading and even watching movies. Reflect on your ideas while you do something else, and they will definitely gain some new layers. Maybe, this is not a sort of a technique you will find in one of those “books on productivity,” but most professional authors claim it to be effective.
Holidays mean that you have so much free time. You have been waiting for this moment to come! However, as we have mentioned above, the more time you have, the more you need to plan it. Be sure that you approach your writing smartly and schedule your activity in a way that suits you. If something doesn’t work – change it. If you cannot produce even a single line today – leave it for tomorrow. Stay positive, and do your best!
