In my sophomore year of college, a classmate invited me to swim laps with her at our student recreation center and discuss the news, a requirement for our honors government class. This turned out to be the beginning of a friendship that lasted all through college, and beyond, but what happened that semester when I said “yes” to taking some of my precious study time and just swimming laps with a friend was life-changing.
Up until that point, I did not have a regular exercise schedule. Sure, I’d go for a walk in the neighborhood occasionally if I was asked, but my main focus was school. My parents had encouraged me to view college as having a full-time job, and I thought I was doing a pretty good job, with all A’s, even if I had major test anxiety and was constantly worried about deadlines.
As it turned out, swimming laps 2–3 times a week became a habit … just like studying already was. And amazingly, my anxiety dropped and my health improved—not just physically, but I also didn’t catch as many colds, which meant I missed less time studying and was able to stay on track in my classes.
What’s the point of all of this?
We all have deadlines throughout life…
In academia, these manifest in dissertations, capstone projects, conference presentations, articles, and so on. In the private sector, it may be a deadline to have your manuscript to your editor or publisher. Or it could be the deadline of having to get your young kids to school and be home by 9am for a client meeting. These events, unless very carefully planned out, can lead to stress at some point. It can be easy to say, “when I just finish xyz,” I’ll be able to take a break, but as you probably have discovered, this “break” is either short-lived or doesn’t really appear. The key to managing stress when on a deadline—or in life in general!—is to create habits and rhythms that become part of your daily schedule. Just like waking up at the same time every morning wreaks less havoc on your body than a varied alarm schedule, scheduling breaks into your writing time keeps you motivated to stay on task.
So, how can you manage stress effectively while you're writing?
First of all, only you can determine what kind of break you need. At first, there may be a trial-and-error phase. Perhaps you write for an hour and take a 15-minute break for tea and a chapter of the book you’re reading. Personally, I love to go outside in the sunshine and pull a few weeds in my garden. Standing up helps with blood flow, and getting outside reminds me there’s a world beyond my computer. Since I live in Texas, we have good weather most of the time. Ellen lives in Minnesota and takes cold weather walks to de-stress. Again, it has to work for you. Ask yourself what brings you joy that can fit into a short space of time, and do that thing!
Second, decide on a writing-to-rest ratio. How long will you write before you take a break, and how long will that break be? Remember the point is to put away your work and move your thoughts to a neutral space where you aren’t even thinking about what still needs to be done. I like to think of yoga exercises where we sit on the mat before beginning and focus on our breathing, in … and out … Maybe you don’t actually sit and do breathing exercises (but you could!), but allow your break to be whole body. Again, each person will have their own needs and what you choose timewise must work for you. For more reading on a productive writing-to-rest ratio, see this article on the Pomodoro Technique—although, as the article concedes, these estimates could vary depending on the person and their unique personality and needs.
Third, and possibly most importantly, you must incorporate this pattern into your daily rhythms. When I get up in the morning, I make coffee, wake my kids, pack lunches and make breakfast. These are my morning tasks, and if I fail to do them in order, there’s usually some chaos. I’ve found having some things prepped the night before, like lunches ready to be put in backpacks, saves some time and makes us more efficient—read: not stressed.
So it is with breaks while writing (or any other deadline). When I get home from school drop-offs, I drink the rest of my coffee, open my computer, and work for an hour and a half or so and take a break. I’ve learned I can’t sit still for much longer, and I need a brain break, even if it’s just 10 minutes. When you look at your budgeted time for writing, build in time for a break or two (or three!). Once it becomes a pattern, it will be easier to do, and you will benefit from knowing what to expect.
I don’t swim laps very often anymore because I no longer have access to a pool that fits my schedule. But those years of building a swimming break into my life taught me that the time I spend on myself, caring for me, is completely worth it regardless of whether I feel like I am making literal progress or not. The reality is that some progress we can’t see in the moment, while we are doing it. It’s when looking back that we can be impressed with ourselves. My school experience changed dramatically when I took time for self-care. Meet your deadlines, but don’t lose yourself along the way. You’ve got this.
