by Lisa Jordan, @lisajordan

In the middle of writing a heated conversation between my current hero and heroine, I realized I had one week left in November and there was no way I was going to complete my NaNoWriMo goal, which, coincidentally, was to finish the rough draft on my current novel.

Crud.

Winning at NaNoWriMo is an awesome ego boost, especially when you can share with other writers in your community who understand the value of committing to 50K words in 30 days, but that word count goal is not a determining factor of my self-worth or a deal breaker for my writing career. 

When I’m on deadline, I seem to struggle with juggling my day jobs, my writing responsibilities, family, church functions, and social media. When this happens, I just want to retreat and crawl back into bed. Or binge on Netflix.

Since this is something I’m going to face again and again, I need to strive at finding a better balance between all of the juggling I do on a regular basis. The problem with finding that balance, though, is sometimes, we teeter when weighed down with one thing or another and end up dropping everything we’re trying to juggle.

Many days I feel like the Cat in The Cat in the Hat, juggling books on my fingertips, a rake holding a fishbowl in my other hand, a cake on my head and a fan with my tail…except I don’t have a tail. Most days, I can juggle my responsibilities. Not always with ease, but I still manage to take care of my obligations. 

But then there are those days when everything comes crashing down. We’re left with feelings of failure, dented self-worth and pressure to do more, but even better.

So what’s a writer to do?

• Breathe. When you’re stressed out, put yourself in time-out. Close your eyes and just breathe. It will be okay. Know that you’re not alone. Pray and ask for God’s divine intercession.
• Prioritize. Once you’re calm, make a list of your responsibilities and prioritize them. Make sure they’re real priorities and not things you’ve said yes to out of a sense of duty or feeding your inner people pleaser. Do you have a deadline? Doctor’s appointment? Bake sale? Work function? Instead of focusing on many things at once, focus on your highest priorities, then tick through them one at a time. Or break larger responsibilities down into manageable pieces. 
• Delegate. Once you’ve prioritized your list into what things must be done first, consider delegating some of your simpler tasks to family members and friends. Having extra hands allows you to work on your higher priority items.
• Lessen your load. When it’s time to start juggling again, pick up fewer balls. By prioritizing and delegating, you should have lessened your load. Learn to say no to those extra things that tend to steal your joy or nudge you away from meeting your dreams. 
• Give yourself grace. Many times we think we need to be people who can juggle with the best of them and keep that smile in place. We’re afraid if we drop something, then it makes us look bad. We’re afraid of being judged and rejected by peers and colleagues. We’re afraid of not being good enough. Most of the time, those judgments come from our own perceptions and expectations. Each person is different, so trying to keep up with someone else leads to resentment and a sense of failure. Be your own person. Know your limits. Maintain manageable expectations. And give yourself grace.

Sometimes juggling many roles isn’t an option, but you don’t have to go it alone. And when you do stumble and drop a few balls, dust yourself off and move forward without beating yourself up. Keeping it real allows others to see your transparency. In doing so, you may be ministering to someone going through a similar situation. Be humble at the Throne of Grace and know God is with you always. 

Season of Hope

His dreams can all come true…but only if his ex-wife will agree!

Jake Holland’s peaceful dairy farm is a sanctuary—one he wants to share with other worn and weary veterans. He just needs one more piece of land to start his program…and it belongs to Tori Lerner, his ex-wife. A collaboration could benefit them both, but with a past full of secrets between them, is there any hope for renewed love?

Heart, home, and faith have always been important to Lisa Jordan, so writing stories with those elements come naturally. Represented by Rachelle Gardner of Books & Such Literary Management, Lisa is an award-winning author for Love Inspired, writing contemporary Christian romances that promise hope and happily ever after. Her latest book, Season of Hope, released in March 2019. She is the Operations Manager for Novel.Academy, powered by My Book Therapy. Happily married to her own real-life hero for thirty years, Lisa and her husband have two grown sons. When she isn’t writing, Lisa enjoys family time, kayaking, good books, and being creative. Visit her at lisajordanbooks.com.