So, I don't know about you. But the beginning of my year wasn't the kick off I was expecting. Just like a new years resolution, I was strong for like two weeks. But the smallest hitch, and I was stumbling. I thought I would pick myself right back up, but it took me a couple of weeks to get back into my groove.
I had the idea in my head that I would be getting up and editing the audiobook and researching for my podcast all day/everyday. Now to be fair I did catch COVID in the middle of January, but I'd been sick before and persevered. But COVID really kicked me in the butt energy wise. I was drinking several cups of coffee, napping in the middle of the day (almost everyday), and generally space brained. But I had so much work to do!
So I wanted to talk about what I tried to get back into the grind.
Setting Timers
I thought maybe my brain could focus for short periods. Right? Using brain power for hours at a time can be real draining. But how about small increments? Timers were really helpful for me to push myself and work a little hard and build up my perseverance in the past. But let's face it, tired brain don't care about timers. Most days I tried, but found myself unfocused and staring longingly at the bed.
Taking Walks
Getting fresh air can wake you up and let your mind wander for a little bit, hopefully getting it all out of the way. I realized I should be taking more walks. And they felt great. All the while I talked to myself, and let myself think if there were deeper issues that were causing me to be tired and unfocused. This was a great way to let my mind wander productively, and I even thought about some new ideas that I was excited to explore. Unfortunately, I needed to get in grind mode, not creative mode.
Working on Something Else
So clearly something wasn't working. And I think I came to a conclusion that my mind was fried working on the same thing for months. And I felt I couldn't afford to take a long break. I've found that if you start slipping from your routine, it's so easy to stay off of it. So I decided to spend a week on my resume and applying for jobs. These were things I wanted to start working on after the audiobook was done. So I just rearranged my timeline a little bit. I gave myself a little break from one project, but I didn't stop working. Now I know not everyone is able to do this if you have a hard deadline. But if you have a few months until something is due, don't stop working, juggle to something else for a short time.
But I would say the number one thing to do is...
Keep Trying
It's so hard when you're tired to keep going. But I think the best way to get out of sleep brain is keep trying to get back into your productive streak. Don't beat yourself up if for a few days your eyes are so heavy and you have to take a nap. Just try again the next day. If your phone is a distraction (lordly knows it is for me) put it somewhere far from you so it's not a quick grab arm reach temptation.
It took almost a month but I'm back in my grind mode and I'm trying to make up for lost time.
Audiobook Progress
I'm only five chapters away from being finished with the A Firm Place to Stand Audiobook (less than 50 pages! And I'm now scheduling to have it finished by the end of February.
Ace of Hearts Podcast
Also... I have a release date for Ace of Hearts! Our release date is going to be mid August 2023. You'll hear much more about it later.
Scare Actors Status
I've started submitting Scare Actors to film festivals. I haven't heard anything yet (and probably won't for a few months) but I'll be sure to let everyone know as soon as I hear anything!
Voice Acting
No new jobs yet. But now that I'm feeling more energetic I'm submitting to a few auditions every week. And I'm even applying to agents! I'll let you know if anything changes, otherwise I'll just keep trying. Hey, sometimes that's all you can do, try.
Thanks for reading! If you want to follow up on more frequent updates, as well as see some joke videos I make from time to time, feel free to follow me:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maddy.goshorn/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaddyGoshorn
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maddog_goshorn/
Also feel free to check out Determinal Velocity's (My Production Company) Social Media Links We're posting a lot of Behind the Scenes pictures of Scare Actors at the moment! (Admittedly there's a lot of bleed over, but hey give a like when you can!)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ScareActorsShow
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scareactorsshow/
Website: https://determinalvelocity.com/
Thank you for the support!
Maddy "Gos" Goshorn
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