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Yes, I said it. Burnout sucks. We all suffer from it. I know I do. 

Let me tell you a secret. I adore creating stories. I love writing. I could spend the rest of my days simply cranking out story after story and leave the editing, the polishing, the business of publishing to others. 

Yvonne agrees. She could do the same. Leave the business of writing and publishing alone and simply go on writer’s retreats all year long. Pile into a Mini-Winnie with the dog and set up camp wherever we like and write. 

A nice dream. But a dream it is right now. We can’t get the dream without the reality of work. Of running a business with all its tendencies to pull us in a thousand directions until we scream - Enough!

We work seven days a week. Sometimes we let go but even when we do, we are still working. We wake up with PHP on our minds and go to sleep with it. Lay still on the bed as detail after detail that requires attention flows across our brains. 

Details like taxes, profit and loss, new equipment, new clients, expenses. Ah, yes; expenses. The reality of the costs of running a business is the expenses. Paper, ink, networking, ads, social media, computer programs. The list goes on and on. All of it costs. Something that is hard to let go of. The beginning of burnout.

I suffered burnout when I sat down to write this blogpost. I stared at the screen until my eyes hurt. I started it again and again knowing full well I wasn’t going to finish it. Nothing I wrote was of any use. No suggestion Yvonne gave me felt right. I wanted to go back to bed. Sleep until it all passed me by. Let the world go to hell for a while as I sucked on sodas and watched T.V.

Unfortunately, there is an expression I sue quite often in scenarios like this. Want to hear it? I don’t think you do. The expression goes like this: Suck it up buttercup. 

That’s right. Suck it up. It’s harsh I know but it is the right thing in a time like this. A slap on the head if you will. Unfortunately, the expression doesn’t write words on a screen. The more I stared at my computer screen the less I wanted to suck it up and the more I wanted to crawl back into bed.

Now, I knew what I needed to push the burnout out of my life. I am a blue-collar man. Since I was a kid my mind needs the pleasure of being able to shut off and work. Let physicality take over. I did some of my thinking mowing the grass. When I went into the Navy, polishing my shoes helped let me think.

So, I walked away from the computer. Washed some dishes, did the laundry, took out some trash. Got my blood pumping as I did mindless things. Then I took out the dog. Let her run and play. Then I did more work items. Began to think about cutting up more of a tree which had been kicking my ass for months. 

By the time I returned to the computer my mind had begun to churn. The time away from the computer and actually doing something physical was what I needed. I needed to work! See, in my mind writing is not work. Work requires you to physically feel it. To sweat some. To breathe hard. 

I know, I say breathe hard and some of you, including me, think of sex. Out minds go sideways and think what is better physically than sex? Nothing I know of, but it never leaves me clear to think about other things. Instead, all I think is more sex! 

Not a bad thing but sex is not work for me. If it is for you, then I think you need an intervention. Just saying. Anyways, after doing the minor physical things around the house, my mind cleared up enough to write this blog post. Allowed me to write several more in my head. Then begin the process of outlining several sequels in the works and actually look at our calendar for 2021. 

That’s my prescription for clearing burnout from your life. Tell yourself to suck it up and get to work. Actual hard assed work. Once you are done, then you can reward yourself with sex.

I’m Ross, The Editor-in-Chief at the Pyrateheart Press and I’m out.