This is a reflection for me and for those fellow writers who tend to overdo it. And since the July NaNoWriMo is right around the corner, it is very important for me to write about this topic so that I can alert writers to maybe do things differently this time around. I am the Queen of overdoing it and overworking. And this isn’t helped by the fact that I write academically and creatively for kids and teens. I find that my work day continues for eight or more hours every day, with very few breaks in between. And despite the fact that I find this hard and exhausting, I seem to not be able to stop the treadmill of self-destruction. During the November NaNoWriMo, I was so exhausted most days that I had to take pain pills and sleeping pills in order to relax at night sometime. When the whole ordeal ended, and I did achieve my word goals for each day, I vowed to NEVER work this hard without a break again. So, here is my plan for this NaNoWriMo. 1. I will write six days and rest for one day each week. 2. I will NOT beat myself up if I don’t achieve my word count for a particular week. 3. I will work diligently and not worry about the finish line. 4. I will be kind to myself at all times. 5. I will reward myself often. 6. I will not compare myself with anyone else. 7. I will make sure that I respect myself as a writer, and if I want to take a day off, even if it means one extra day a week, I will do it with beating myself up. 8. I will have fun, and enjoy this process. Once the competition starts, I’ll see how well I fulfill my plan. Fellow writers, start setting some writing and time boundaries for yourself too before the competition starts. You will be really glad once it starts that you did. ~ Irene