What I wanted to achieve:  Chapters 31–35
What I actually achieved: Chapters 29–32

2/8—Try to take it easy
As much discipline as it takes to meet writing goals, it also takes strength to rest. It requires trust in the outcome. A firm belief that you don’t have to drive yourself crazy to succeed. You don’t have to be driving hard to succeed. I decided on a slow build on Monday. I finished the chapter I had started over the weekend. I calculated and recalculated how many days it would take to meet my deadline. I assured myself I was on track and let myself complete my writing time with half a chapter written. All is well.
Completed the second half of Chapter 29—4 pages; 1,217 words

2/9—What the bloody h—ll?
On Monday, I got a mysterious invite from my division head for a 9:30 a.m. meeting. I wrote as much as I could before the next meeting—half of the next chapter—and ended my writing session for the day. A strategy exercise was announced and teams had to work intensively for six weeks to suggest solutions for big growth areas in our company. I am so close to my deadline—so close! I can’t be thwarted now.
Completed half of Chapter 30—3 1/2 pages; 991 words

2/10—Hold up! Let me catch my breath
The writing was going fine. The work/writing balance was challenging, but doable—but then this special strategy project was dropped into the middle of it like an atomic bomb. I took the day off to focus on writing—I spent half my time trouble shooting for my team and meeting with the strategy group, but I got a solid three hours of writing in to finish the half chapter from the previous day plus complete a full chapter.
Completed half of Chapter 30 + Chapter 31—12 pages; 3,584 words

2/11—Half a page: I know the drill!
Mental health is everything as a creative. Keeping yourself on track mentally is the secret to continued productivity. You may be sensing a theme. When I have a messy week, I usually get to a turning point by Thursday. This Thursday, I decided to embrace the half chapter. Sure, I had managed to write full chapters for almost all of my writing sessions, but now conditions had changed—drastically. Hanging on to how many pages I was writing was a surefire way to drive myself crazy, and my job is to protect sanity at all times. The fact was: I still had time leading up to my deadline. I decided to accept the hand life was dealing me and embrace the half-chapter.
Completed half of Chapter 32—4 1/2 pages; 1,336 words

2/12—I accept my limited capacity
This week was a textbook example of why I like to front load my work. When you have the energy and time, push yourself. But when staying on track means suffering—it’s time to slow down. The way I protect my options—make sure I have the space to slow down—is by putting time in the bank. My mission is to work hard when I can, rest when I can’t. I finished the chapter I started the day before and, supremely exhausted and a bit off kilter, I called the week complete.
Completed half of Chapter 32—4 pages; 1,185 words

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END-OF-THE-WEEK REFLECTION

This week and last week were similar. I was besieged by work responsibilities for both weeks. This week, I could not keep pace—but I did keep going! The madness that started last week, racheted up to another level intensity this week. I didn’t see it coming. Every time I complained about my stress and exhaustion, someone tried to convince me I needed to slow down. My friends worried and asked when I was taking a vacation. My agent suggested I ask for an extended deadline. I heard their concerns (I was concerned too), but looking at from where I stood, it made more sense to me to get this draft done and off my plate. If I had six weeks of this special strategy project at work, it would ultimately be more helpful to me to wrap this up so I wasn’t juggling my day job, the special project, and the novel. I decided to keep moving and take solace in the schedule. Comparing the number of days left to the deadline to the number of chapters I had left to complete was all the assurance I needed. My mantra was: I’m almost done!

Self-Talk Script: I will acknowledge and accept when my life circumstances change. I will be realistic about my limitations and creative about my commitments. I will be gentle with myself when I have a breakdown and I will­­ trust that I will recover. Hard times are temporary and my vision will win.