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.

No. 1 game-changing life hack from 2020

I know, I know: the calendar professes 2021. And that means the proverbial clean slate. Yet, I continue to marvel at the lessons I learned in 2020. One of the best—and I dare say “game-changing life hacks”—happens to be my “discovery” of the podcast. OK, I realize podcasts date back to 2004. (I never promised I’m a quick learner—just that you can teach old dogs new tricks). But when the catch phrases work from home, curfews and self-isolation served to shrink our respective corners of the world last year, my introduction to podcasts provided a way out, so to speak. Podcasts, for me, became an open door to expand my knowledge base on such topics as tips and techniques for authors, writing as a business, online “church” and more. And the best part? You can subscribe—for free—to any and all subject matter that piques your interest. My favorite this week? Write Now podcast with Sarah Werner.

What’s your game-changing life hack from 2020?

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.