Work on Your Garden to Become a More Productive Writer This Summer!
Whether you are a full time writer or are working on some poetry, essays, stories or a novel as a creative side project, it can be important to constantly look for ways to keep yourself inspired and motivated. Even doing something you love can have its times when you find yourself procrastinating, and we have probably all known the frustration of writer’s block, when the inspiration just won’t come.
With spring finally upon us, it can be a good idea to try and leverage the general feelings of higher energy and lighter mood that come with the sunnier weather and longer daylight hours to ramp up writing productivity, and there is no better way to do this than by spending more time outdoors.
Why Writing Outdoors Can Help Your Creativity Flow and Your Motivation Stay High
Most of us tend to always write in the same place – in fact, it is even something you see on those many posts about being more productive as a writer. We are told to become creatures of habit, and to expect a kind of Pavlovian response after some time in the same routine whereby just sitting down to write kicks us into the right mode. However, a change of scenery can also do wonders for your writing, allowing you to have a different ambience around you as you work and perhaps even inspiring you with new sights and sounds. Having a second workspace outside, for instance in your garden, on your balcony or even at your favorite public park, can give you that change while also helping your general wellbeing by exposing you to more daylight and fresh air each day.
Another point is that we tend to think of sitting outdoors as something we do to relax, and a pleasure. While we do tend to make our workspaces indoors as convenient and comfortable as possible, the association is there that these are places where we have to work hard and concentrate. Shifting from a space you think of as being about work and challenges to one where you typically chill out can help you take on a new perspective to what you are writing. You probably enjoy sitting outside and reading a book, and even look forward to it. When you do your writing in that space, you may find your pleasure in writing makes a comeback even on the days when you don’t think you are in the mood.
Improving Your Garden is a Great Type of Work for Thinking About Your Ideas
In general, staring at a blank page on your computer screen is the worst thing you can do when you are struggling to think of an idea, or to resolve a plot issue. Most writers have something they do to occupy themselves that gives them something else to think about but doesn’t take so much of their focus that their mind isn’t still open to ideas and solutions. Some people find their creativity sparks when they are exercising, doing housework, or other repetitive tasks that are relaxing and leave their minds to wander, such as knitting or cross stitch.
Gardening is actually ideal for this. Whether you are sowing seeds, watering your plants, getting rid of weeds, or doing something more creative like putting together a hanging basket or window box, you can keep yourself busy in a constructive way and also have some great thinking time to work on your writing ideas.
Add to this that you’ll be making your outdoor writing environment even more pleasant by adding the kind of plants you like having around you and taking good care of them, and it is clear what a worthwhile pastime gardening could be! You can even take on little projects like putting up a greenhouse using hoop house frames to grow your own summer vegetables, giving you manual work to do whenever you want a break from getting words on the page.
Experience the Best of the Season
A big part of what makes for compelling writing is the experiences you have to convey in your work, and this doesn’t just mean the major events or emotional things, but sometimes just experiencing what is going on around you. If you spend your writing time cooped up inside, this can make up a lot of your life if you write full time or do it on top of a day job where you are also indoors. Experience spring and summer by letting them surround you in your garden, and then you’ll be ready to enjoy the coziness of fall once that comes around, too.
If you are finding yourself low on motivation and creativity of late, try working on your garden and using it as a writing space – you may be surprised how much it can help!
Most of us tend to always write in the same place – in fact, it is even something you see on those many posts about being more productive as a writer. We are told to become creatures of habit, and to expect a kind of Pavlovian response after some time in the same routine whereby just sitting down to write kicks us into the right mode. However, a change of scenery can also do wonders for your writing, allowing you to have a different ambience around you as you work and perhaps even inspiring you with new sights and sounds. Having a second workspace outside, for instance in your garden, on your balcony or even at your favorite public park, can give you that change while also helping your general wellbeing by exposing you to more daylight and fresh air each day.
Another point is that we tend to think of sitting outdoors as something we do to relax, and a pleasure. While we do tend to make our workspaces indoors as convenient and comfortable as possible, the association is there that these are places where we have to work hard and concentrate. Shifting from a space you think of as being about work and challenges to one where you typically chill out can help you take on a new perspective to what you are writing. You probably enjoy sitting outside and reading a book, and even look forward to it. When you do your writing in that space, you may find your pleasure in writing makes a comeback even on the days when you don’t think you are in the mood.
Improving Your Garden is a Great Type of Work for Thinking About Your Ideas
In general, staring at a blank page on your computer screen is the worst thing you can do when you are struggling to think of an idea, or to resolve a plot issue. Most writers have something they do to occupy themselves that gives them something else to think about but doesn’t take so much of their focus that their mind isn’t still open to ideas and solutions. Some people find their creativity sparks when they are exercising, doing housework, or other repetitive tasks that are relaxing and leave their minds to wander, such as knitting or cross stitch.
Gardening is actually ideal for this. Whether you are sowing seeds, watering your plants, getting rid of weeds, or doing something more creative like putting together a hanging basket or window box, you can keep yourself busy in a constructive way and also have some great thinking time to work on your writing ideas.
Add to this that you’ll be making your outdoor writing environment even more pleasant by adding the kind of plants you like having around you and taking good care of them, and it is clear what a worthwhile pastime gardening could be! You can even take on little projects like putting up a greenhouse using hoop house frames to grow your own summer vegetables, giving you manual work to do whenever you want a break from getting words on the page.
Experience the Best of the Season
A big part of what makes for compelling writing is the experiences you have to convey in your work, and this doesn’t just mean the major events or emotional things, but sometimes just experiencing what is going on around you. If you spend your writing time cooped up inside, this can make up a lot of your life if you write full time or do it on top of a day job where you are also indoors. Experience spring and summer by letting them surround you in your garden, and then you’ll be ready to enjoy the coziness of fall once that comes around, too.
If you are finding yourself low on motivation and creativity of late, try working on your garden and using it as a writing space – you may be surprised how much it can help!
