Writing burnout, burnout, in general, is something every writer (or creator) fears. My entire creative career has been a constant struggle to find the balance between being productive, creating new things, and burning out because I’m taking on too much and the stress is killing any motivation I might have.

And it really is a struggle for me. I can have a really good 6 months of writing and creating, only to not write a single word for the rest of the year (last year was an example of that, and years before weren’t exactly burnout free).

This year, as I am trying to adjust my writing ambitions to the new reality of having a full-time job that brings me satisfaction, and trying to come up with a new plan of pursuing what’s always been my dream, I’m once again faced with the reality that if I attempt to do too much, too fast, I might fail.

And failure is not an option.

I can’t even tell you why, but there’s this certainty in me, whispering in my mind, telling me there’s only so many times I can go back to the start, make another attempt, come at it from a different angle. Yes, each time I started from scratch, I learned from my mistakes, I figured out the limitations and realized that while working under pressure and setting up rigorous plans can get me where I want, it’s not a pace I can keep in the long run.

Because if I try, no matter how exciting I am, I will burn out and be right back where I started.

So this time, I’m hoping that slow and steady will win this race and that small steps will get me where I want to be. So the word for the year is

Consistency.

Wish me luck!