Doldrums

We all get them. For me, August is doldrum month: it's too hot outside and inside to get anything done, I'm working extra hours & feel chronically tired, and the block's too noisy to sleep at night. For one of my friends, January's her black hole, when the fun of the holiday season is over and there's nothing to look forward to but months of gray skies. What's a working writer or artist to do?

• Take a break. This might be a good time for a mini-sabbatical. Even if you can't get any time off work because you've used up your vacation days, take time off from all other commitments. Use your off-hours to spend time with family and friends, read, go to art museums, concerts, antique stores or wherever you get inspiration, and daydream a lot.
  
• Change your daily routine. If you usually work on projects during the morning, try evening instead, or vice versa.
• Switch projects for several weeks. Start a new one or return to an abandoned one.
• Go somewhere new, even if it's only to an unexplored neighborhood in your own city.

Happy recharging!