{some aspects of this post have been adapted from my recent newsletter}
I don’t cope well with sudden and dramatic change. This could be a positive change like the birth of my first child. Or it could be negative or sad change. I’ve been taking the lockdown in my stride on the whole. Yes, I’ve struggled with certain aspects but generally I’ve felt okay and this is possibly because the changes have been gradual. But when a close family friend died suddenly in the last few weeks there has been a shift in my world. The lockdown has felt claustrophobic and frustrating. The news has become anxiety-inducing and my normally safe spaces online have just become too much.
So, I decided to take some time out from Instagram and from checking the news.
Taking time away from Instagram is quite a big thing for me. It is an app that revolves around my working day. It is where my community is, it is where I share my writing process. It helps me feel less alone in this solitary profession.
But what started out as something I had to do for the sake of my mental health has actually created a positive side effect. Not having my phone to distract me I started writing. Not only was I writing but I was properly concentrating on it and - all of a sudden - I have a second draft of my book proposal ready for the red editing pen. Which got me thinking just how much has Instagram Stories interrupted my writing flow? How much has it affected my productivity? Yes, Instagram has given me a community to chat to which has been invaluable. But was I kidding myself when I was on there so much: taking photos, recording time lapses, writing captions. Telling myself it was work when, in reality, it was taking me away from my real work. My core work.
This is something I have been telling my mentees over the last few weeks. Instagram is great but don’t forget what your core work is: writing, photography, quilting, music. Because without your core what’s the point in making any online noise? Concentrate on the solid work which is, in my case, my books, my essays, my blog, my newsletters and my mentoring clients.
I have big ideas for the future. But the thing is I believe these will just stay as big ideas and not reality unless I start prioritising my time and my workload (and my mental health). It’s not going to be forever, but I do need to allow myself that flexibility and to say - right, limited social media time this month whilst I concentrate on x project. Staying away from a constantly updating app also allows myself time to breathe whilst I have these big projects on the go.
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I am now taking on mentoring clients for the month of July. If you’re looking for help with your online platform and how to navigate the online world whilst staying true to your goals (and your core work!) then have a look at my mentoring page for details.
As an example of the things I can do, I can:
help you carve out a clear direction for your hobby that you’d like to turn into a business
help create a platform to attract readers for your book
help you identify your goals and then work out a plan to meet them
help you make sense of all the online platforms and work out which one is the best for you
provide individualised tutorials for technical issues
provide support, bags of encouragement and hand-holding for scary leaps into the unknown
plus lots more!
“I loved working with Helen.
The work that I did with Helen was pivotal and moved me forward in leaps and bounds - [her] support was the difference that helped me evolve.”