Reap a harvest: making ‘fallow seasons’ work for you

Photo by Isak Engström on Unsplash.

On a recent podcast, the guest talked about working through a “fallow” writing season. Fallow—meaning idle, unproductive or uncreative—describes the past five months of my life. In the article Why We Need to Be ‘OK’ in the Fallow Season, Ryan Fahey asks the question, “Are you in a season that doesn’t seem to be producing any results?” followed by, “Are you spinning your wheels…frustrated at not seeing the results you want?” Yet, the fallow season is actually the most important season of growth. In fact, it’s essential for producing something wonderful. Unfortunately, some of these seasons take longer than others to deliver the outcome we desire; i.e., not all fallow seasons are the same. But the good news: fallow does not equal failure. And if we focus on the process, rather than the outcome, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Are you in a fallow season? Let me know at chrismadayschmidt.com, and remember to sign up for my free monthly emails.

Morning rituals: finding a sustainable practice that sustains you

Let’s talk morning rituals. Over the past year, I’ve read tips on making the most of the initial hours in a day—from “eating the frog” to exercising to avoiding social media to praying or fasting. Although I’ve tried all of the above and more, my focus over the past year and a half has included three top priorities: prayer, purpose and performance. During the first hour of my day, I reconnect to my “source” through devotions and Bible readings. Then, I journal for 15-20 minutes before jumping into that day’s creative pursuits. Finally, I hop on my exercise bike, hit the yoga mat and power walk through my neighborhood or head for the mountain trails. And not only has this morning ritual sustained me during an unsettled 2020 and into the new year, but it also proves to be a sustainable practice that I can adjust as needed.

Visit my new home at chrismadayschmidt.com and let me know what type of practice, morning or otherwise, sustains you?

Getting the dirty work out of the way

Photo by Anton on Unsplash.

First, let’s tackle a little housekeeping: If you’ve signed up for my free monthly emails at chrismadayschmidt.com, thank you. I’m anticipating my “inaugural” deployment on the first Wednesday of June, with a similar schedule planned for subsequent months. If you enjoy the types of stories I tell—sweet (and sometimes sassy) real-life “fairytales”—and believe it’s always the write time for hope, humor & heart, stop by my new home where my blogs will be hosted starting June 1. And now I’m curious: When confronted with a to-do list, do you attack your least favorite task first, or are you the type to dive right into those activities that cause you to sparkle? In my case, I attempt to deal with the “less pleasant” items before pursuing my passion. But while this approach results in less distractions vying for my attention, it oftentimes leaves me running out of steam—and time—once I finally get to the fun stuff.

Do you tackle your least or favorite tasks first?

More growing pains = reasons to celebrate!

Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash

I’ve finally reconciled the pruning process—aka growing pains—is not going away anytime soon. In fact, I recently mentioned to a girlfriend that every time I understand a concept I need to address in my life, another layer (like the skin on an onion) peels away to reveal even greater (and oftentimes more painful) insights. One thing could not be clearer to me: these growing pains represent forward momentum, the latter of which deserves to be celebrated. Speaking of growing pains: as I continue “growing” my email list, I invite followers of Always The Write Time blog to visit my new home: chrismadayschmidt.com. And please note that on June 1, fresh posts will be hosted on my website only. If you enjoy what you read, I encourage you to sign up to receive my free monthly emails to keep current on exclusive content—like previews of my upcoming real-life “fairytales”—free giveaways, special promotions for subscribers and more.

What growing pain do you need to work through?