Five Ways to Enjoy a Relaxed Summer of Writing
Relaxed Summer Writing: Find Your Flow and Make Progress
It's summer! And with the slower and sunnier season might bring the temptation to unplug and forget about your writing projects completely. Well, until the fall, when you see all the writing you didn't do and feel a panic set in that leaves you feeling behind through the fall and holidays.
While a break from your writing practice can be wonderful, what if you could make real progress on your writing this summer without the stress and pressure?
As a three-time author, writing coach, and founder of the Intuitive Writing School, I believe that building consistent writing habits will serve you year-round and transform your business. This isn't about locking yourself away in your home office while your family is out having fun — it's about finding your writing flow wherever you are and making your writing feel good.
Embracing a Peaceful Summer Writing Vibe
The energy of summer is about slowing down to speed up. It's about presence and beginning new things. You've probably experienced a state of flow when writing — and that's exactly what we're going for here. Writing in a "flow state" is when you're completely present and not overthinking. This is the ideal for relaxed writing.
Important: We need to distinguish between writing — which is about letting the words out — and editing, which is a separate, later stage. Often, we get stuck because we're trying to edit when we're actually not finished writing yet.
This summer, you can cultivate a vibe where writing feels like a natural extension of your life, and part of your every day, not a chore or obligation. This means focusing on feeling good about the writing you're doing and the action you're taking, all summer long.
Five Strategies for a Relaxed Summer of Writing
Here are five key strategies to help you find your writing flow and make meaningful progress on your writing projects this summer:
1. Stop Comparing Your Summer to Everyone Else's
It's easy to get caught up in what others are sharing in their highlight reels on social media. This can lead to feeling like your summer needs to look a certain way, or that you need to push a project before it's truly ready. Instead, take a moment to define what you want your summer to feel like.
Define Your Desired Feelings: Imagine it's the end of summer. What do you want to feel? Peaceful? Expansive? Grounded? Engaged? What do you see? What do you experience? What does a great summer look like to YOU? Once you identify these feelings, put them on a sticky note or set a daily reminder on your phone. This becomes the energy you bring to your writing all summer.
Go On An Information Diet: If certain social media accounts, books, or newsletters don't make you feel expansive and excited, consider unfollowing. What you let in affects how you feel and, therefore, how you create.
2. Prioritize Recovery Over Just Rest
Have you been pushing hard since January 1 and expecting a week at the beach to fully restore you? If you find it hard to relax, you might not be truly recovering. Constantly thinking about your writing projects without moving forward on them is a huge energy leak, and you'll end up returning to your work feeling resentful and drained.
Ask Yourself: Do I feel safe enough to relax? If you've been pushing yourself, explore whether you feel safe enough to stop and relax. True recovery involves plugging up those energy leaks, like overthinking or over-consuming draining content.
Balance Creativity and Inner Peace: Find a balance between being creative and feeling peaceful. This might involve setting intentional pauses where you're not forcing yourself to write, and you're not obsessing over your work.
3. Honor All Your "Small" Needs
What seems like "small" needs are often crucial for your overall well-being and, consequently, your writing. These might include your movement practice, getting morning sun, or shifting your work schedule.
Prioritize Self-Care: Choose one need to look after each day or a week. This helps you feel grounded, supported, and peaceful.
Ask Your Project What It Needs: Sit with your project and ask it what it needs from you. It may seem silly, but this approach works for my coaching clients and community members. Your project might need you to stop overthinking and start writing, or to stop editing prematurely. Maybe your writing project wants more love, time, attention, focus, or presence.
Focus Leads to Flow: While spontaneity is wonderful, dedicated focus, even in short bursts, can lead to flow. If you have folders of ideas, pick one to focus on for the summer.
4. Carve Out Pockets of Time
This might sound like boring advice, but writing "in the cracks" works. These are the small, sneaky bits of time you think you don't have. Even 5-15 minutes can make a huge difference.
Use Short Snippets of Time: Think about the 5-15 minutes between meetings, while waiting for water to boil, or your coffee to brew. Carry a notebook or use your phone's talk-to-text feature to capture ideas. I often use an app called Otter.ai for transcriptions, which converts my spoken words into written text, which I can then edit.
Capture Ideas as They Come: As a creative, you'll constantly have new ideas, even when focused on one project. Capture these quickly; don't let them become energy leaks. Sometimes, a new idea might even signal that it's time to shift focus from your current project if it's no longer aligned.
Beware of Distractions: Be focused when you are writing. Having too many tabs open or trying to multitask can hinder progress.
5. Designate Some New Writing Spots
If your usual writing spot feels stale or uninspiring, try writing somewhere new. Writing doesn't have to be confined to one place.
Explore Different Environments: I've drafted entire books in places other than my desk, like on my porch, the couch, or at a hockey arena. Coffee shops often have a unique magic, partly because they remove you from home distractions.
Embrace the Outdoors: Bring your computer outside for 15-20 minutes of quick writing and some sun (try this in the morning, before the sun and heat are too intense). It's surprising how much you can accomplish in a short, focused burst in a new environment.
Create an Inspiring Space: Make your new writing spot feel good. Add flowers or things that remind you of how you want to feel, like expansive or at inner peace. Writing in different spots can also spark new ideas and motivation.
Bonus Tip: Welcome Distractions
This might sound counterintuitive, but what if every interruption was required to help us write in the direction we needed to go? Delays, plan changes, and unexpected travel might very well be exactly what we need. Even if we think we don't want it in the moment. Instead of resisting the distraction, ask yourself how you can use it to your benefit and guide you in a different direction.
Practical Tips for Your Relaxed Summer of Writing
Beyond these six strategies (I included the bonus one in there), here are a few more practical ways to support your relaxed summer of writing:
Email Signatures and Out-of-Office: Use your email signature to share when you'll be unplugged next. And when you're out of the office, update your out-of-office replies to work for you. I made some swipe files for you with actual emails I use, plus some unboring ones to surprise and delight (and grow your business). Grab them here.
Flexible Fall Planning: While summer is for flow, loosely planning for the fall can reduce your anxiety about future projects you'll tackle in the second half of the year.
Revisit & Rework Old Writing: Summer is a great time to refresh old blog posts or content. You might find new angles or ways to repurpose it.
Nourish Your Body and Mind: Pay attention to what your body and mind need to feel energized and creative. Enjoying all the fresh fruits and veggies that are abundant in the summer.
Relaxed writing and living are all about flow. It's about being in a calm, peaceful, grounded state, co-creating with God from a place of trust and surrender, not force. I hope these insights help you embrace a truly relaxed and productive summer of writing.
If you're looking for more support, consider joining the Intuitive Writing Membership.
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