This is another fresh start for me. This website. This mindset.
I’m going to give you some tips on just how I started fresh and what worked for me to find my motivation again and realize my true passion.
You can declare a fresh start whenever you want to. I like the start of a new year and all the possibilities it will bring. I happened to check-in at the halfway point of the year. But you can start fresh anytime. At the change of the season. The beginning of the month. The start of the week. And maybe most importantly, you can start fresh every. single. day.
I took a month off before I even realized that was what I was doing. There was no forewarning on my blog or social media accounts, I just went MIA. Up until last week, it had been an entire month since I published a blog post. And for me, that’s quite a long time. Because I love blogging! I really do and you know you are burnt out when doing things you love becomes a chore.
So sometimes you need a break. Like really need a break. Taking a break is necessary and vital and keeps you from crashing and burning.
But I have to be honest, I realized I needed a break because I did crash. I was completely burnt out after months of non-stop writing, blogging, and working. Going to Florida was a much-needed vacation back in early May and I felt revitalized after that trip! But I never read the signs of when I needed another break. So I kept pushing through hoping things would get better. (Spoiler: things didn’t get better.)
I mean there were so many signs! I mentioned it first when I had a massive reading slump and was burned out from finding anything interesting to read. Then I mentioned it briefly here when I talked about finishing draft three of my book. It was more pervasive than I ever realized.
So I took a break and did some soul searching. I realized I would have to set some boundaries for myself. I took to journaling to get my head straight. I set new, more reasonable goals for myself.
And you can too. If you do so wearing epic sweatpant overalls, then the more power to you! Here’s how to begin anew:
How to Start Fresh
1. Take a break and get bored!
This is the most important part. You have to realize you need a break and know that it’s OKAY if you take some time for yourself. But I think what other advice might say out there is that you have to get bored. Like seriously, give your brain a break too. Take some walks without music or podcasts filling your head. Sit around and drink tea. And just savor the taste of food and do nothing else as you simply relax.
2. Schedule time with friends
Socializing is seriously revitalizing for your soul. Get out! In the month I took a break from social media, blogging, and writing I did karaoke, went dancing, got dinner with some girlfriends, made brunch with my bestie, saw a play with my writing group, and got drinks with friends. All of this was good and helped build my spirit back up.
On this same note, separate yourself from negative people in your life. You might be in too fragile a place to deal with drama or work on a toxic relationship. It’s okay to revisit these relationships when you have energy. Because if these people only contribute to the burnout, stay clear for a while.
3. Re-evaluate your priorities
What do you want? What is the number one dream or goal that you have? What do you value above all else? This is where I did some journaling and took to paper to set new goals for myself. (See my new bullet journal set-up for the second half of 2019.)
Also ask yourself what you spend too much of your time on. What do you not like to do but find yourself spending a lot of time doing? For me, this was bullet journaling. I was spending too much time on watercolor which was too much work and wrinkled my pages anyway. So, I changed my style. I went simple and now have the same layout for every week. It takes me just two to three minutes to draw the lines out for the week and that’s it.
4. Set mini-steps (or tasks) to get back on track
Now that you let yourself get bored, be social, and reflect, you are now ready to start planning again. But this time in a more manageable way. What is going to be realistic with your schedule? What are all the things you need to do for one of your goals to be realized? Work backward and write down all the things you have to do to accomplish your goal.
Don’t get me wrong. It can be scary or intimidating to start again. But you just have to make the leap and start again. Who cares what anyone else might think! Just do it. And realize your fullest potential when you are feeling revitalized and motivated.
Happy Day-
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