If I were to assign a theme to this past week, I think it would be “regrouping.”

It’s not that it was necessary because I’ve been wildly out of my routine or fighting a losing battle with writer’s block. It was more like a need to relieve pressure from all the little things I’ve been trying to ignore/put off because I had found a semi-effective routine.

Unfortunately for me, my brain reacts better to one big problem than several small ones. One big problem I can try to solve. Or compartmentalize until it can be dealt with. It’s hard to compartmentalize little annoyances; they’re like whack-a-moles. And so I decided to regroup.

Anyway, this week I didn’t focus on writing quite as much. When I was struck with an idea that I had to get down, I wrote, but otherwise, I let myself focus on resetting other parts of my life.

First, I went home for the weekend. I got away from my apartment, my job, my to-do list, and I spent time with my family, which always puts me in a better state of mind.

When I got back to my apartment, it was on to the to-do list. I got a lot done, including making a long overdue dentist appointment (that’s gotta be worth at least 3 adult points, right?), cleaning and organizing my apartment, and grocery shopping (when on a writing streak I sometimes forget to eat, but when I do remember, it’s important that there is actually food around).

Finally, every day when I came home from work, I immersed myself in things that inspire me. I found new shows/movies on Netflix, I went down the Pinterest rabbit hole, and I read. I’ll admit that between between trying to up my writing goals and the nagging to-do list, I hadn’t been giving myself permission to do those things lately.

Balance is hard, and I’m still working on it. Maybe now that I’ve got everything a little more level, it’ll be easier to keep it from getting out of hand again. Either way, I can at least get back to my writing routine with a fresh mind.