2020–2021. What a shitshow, eh?
One year ago today, I posted that I was taking a break from blogging. I didn’t envisage then that (aside from a couple of posts to promote sweary things) it would last a whole year. Did any of us, back then, have any inkling of what we were facing?
Annoyingly, at the beginning of last year I really felt as though I was on a roll. I’ve just looked back at my blogging plan – yes, I had one of those– and I had posts laid out for the following couple of months, and a plan to keep creating more. I had a marketing strategy for the entire year. There was going to be a rebrand and everything.
Alas, it was all not to be. Three months into the year, our lives were turned upside down, and many of us had no choice but to go into survival mode. I’ve spent much of the last twelve months either frantically trying to juggle editing work with homeschooling my children, or juggle homeschooling my children with panicking because my editing work had dried up. Income targets, marketing strategies, training plans – all have been jettisoned in favour of just getting through each bloody day.
My children have finally gone back to school (fingers crossed they stay there), and my brain is now doing its best to get back into proper work mode. But I’m exhausted. It doesn’t take much to make me lose my momentum at the best of times, and these have categorically not been the best of times. I no longer know how to assess where I need to be and what I need to be doing, and this is a vital part of running a business.
I’m not entirely sure what the point of this blog post is. I’m not sure if I even have one, or any wise words of advice for anyone who’s been going through the same thing. Maybe this is all self-indulgent twaddle. But as I write this, it occurs to me that even if it is, at least it’s something. It is a step back towards the things that matter to me and my business, and maybe, for now, that’s enough.
We are at the start of the road (hopefully; please, please let this be true) back to something like normal. It’s probably a long road, littered with deep, muddy holes that our tired feet might get stuck in now and then. We can’t be expected to sprint joyfully down it, all the way to the end. (Some of us have had far too many lockdown takeaways for that kind of thing.)
One thing that’s really helped me through this last year has been seeing all the kindness and grace people have extended to others as they battle with the circumstances they find themselves in. As we look forward to better days, let’s make sure we show some of that kindness towards ourselves.
kiathomasediting.com 
Indeed, be kind to yourself! I also really recommend taking a good few days off work, and spend some hours soaking in the bathtub with a drink and Netflix. Exhausted brains need to recharge somehow!
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Thank you for this post. I can relate to everything you say. I did try to work alongside homeschooling during the first lockdown but it just wasn’t doable (my youngest was particularly unhappy if I was working as well). I now find myself in the position I was in a few years ago – wondering how I am going to build up my business and secure new regular clients. I did have some work in the Autumn (when my children were back at school) and some projects booked in for later in the year. I know that with a bit of hard work, and by regaining some momentum, things will be fine. The tricky part is just getting started again after such a disrupted year. Good luck to everyone out there in a similar position.
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Thank you for sharing the struggle, I’m sure it will help people. No homeschooling here but I have found it very hard to concentrate a lot of the time, and have ended up doing long hours one day to make up for a poor show the day before, which is far from ideal. I wish you a lot of authors coming to you with their novels written in lockdown!
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