Balanced by Susan Tuttle

Photo Credit: noppasinwfreedigitalphotos.net

It’s that time of year again! Full of lists to check twice, cookies to bake, homes to decorate, movies to watch, and hot cocoa to drink. There are family parties, wrapping parties, gift-exchange parties, ornament parties…

Oh, and there’s our writing.

And it’s oh-so-easy to lose ourselves in our creative worlds and characters. Or in making sure we’re still on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with enough posts, likes, and comments.

So how do we find balance this time of year? Some of us have self-imposed deadlines, others have agent or publishing deadlines. And these pile on top of the demands of the season. Yet we don’t want our memories of this special time of year to be us pulling our hair out!

What’s the solution then? We pray. We ask the God who created time to help us manage ours. We write down the must-dos and even a few of the want-tos and then pray over them. Then we set realistic expectations. Is it a must for your manuscript to be done this month, or can you scale back your word count for these few weeks? Do you have to create as many blog posts, or can you take a Christmas break? Can you pick a specific day of each week to step away from social media and socialize with the people around you?

Ask God. Give him your time and your schedule. Be sensitive to what he’s asking of you, because sometimes we put huge expectations on ourselves and miss out on some pretty amazing moments. Be responsible, yes. Get your work done, for sure. But don’t forget the silly, fun moments too.

Praying you find balance this Christmas:)

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Susan Tuttle

Susan Tuttle is a homeschooling mom of three who is crazy about coffee, dark chocolate, and words—both reading and writing them. Combine that love of words with her passion for leading women to a life-changing encounter with Christ, and you’ll find her crafting Inspirational Contemporary Romance stories laced with humor, love, and healing transformations. When not cheering on her Ironman hubby, chasing the family dog, or tackling complex math problems to teach her kids (yes, even the third grader), you can catch Susan at her blog, Steps.