Some tips for journalists on staying sane this week

Lollllllll yeah ...

Illustration by Mattie Lubchansky

Soooo … how ya doing? 

Uh, a lot has happened in the past week! We all have a million things going on, so I’ll keep this brief and share just a few quick ideas you might find helpful as we all continue to be glued to Twitter and TV. 

Friend of FWT Dr. Jenny Taitz has lots of methods and strategies journalists can use to ~stay sane~ when it’s literally our job to be plugged into the news all day every day. Here are a few highlights:

• Take time for yourself — and actually enjoy it: “Really think about times you’re going to give yourself breaks, and really enjoy your breaks,” Dr. Taitz said. This means being intentional about recharging and trying your best to limit interruptions during times of rest. So often we distract ourselves with other chores or mindless scrolling through social media when we really should just be savoring our time away from working, she said.

• It’s okay if you’re a little unfocused right now: “It’s so normal to get distracted when you’re doing anything,” Dr. Taitz said. If you just can’t get started on something, try knocking out lower-stakes tasks — or even completely unrelated tasks — to try to get back on track, she said.

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• Stop TIC-ing, start TOC-ing: Dr. Taitz mentioned David Burns’s TIC-TOC technique for getting around obstacles: TICs are task-interfering cognitions, or the thoughts and attitudes that get in your way of accomplishing things. TOCs are task-oriented cognitions, which are — you guessed it — the constructive, productive other side of the coin. Here’s how to implement the technique.

• Have an emotional health regimen: Maybe it’s meditation, connecting with a friend or simple reflection about the way you’re feeling, we just want to find space to “acknowledge what we’re feeling. We don’t always have to get away from the feeling, but just noticing it and being with it can go a long way.”

• Remember, this is all temporary: “The current is not going to be the constant,” Dr. Taitz said. “You’re not always going to feel this way.” What a beautiful way to look at things! Everything we’re dealing with this week […] will eventually pass, and we just have to push through it.

Oh, a few other things …

• I offer one-on-one coaching! Need help developing an idea or sharpening one you already have? Or want to talk about careers and building your freelance business? I gotchu! Book a one-on-one coaching session to talk about pitch reviews, story development, editing, and anything else you might need help with.

• Please join me on Nov. 19 for a workshop on the art of structuring a longform narrative feature. In this Zoom session, I’ll lead a deconstruction exercise of a longform narrative story and give you tips on how to use those tools in your writing. It’ll be structured like a grad school-level class, with participation encouraged (but, of course, not required). We’ll analyze a published longform narrative as a jumping-off point, and go into detail about what it takes to go long on a story. Register to join here.

• I’m now doing Q&A posts in the newsletter to answer all of your questions, comments, and thoughts about freelancing and journalism in general. Drop any and all questions in the comments section below this post or email me at tim@freelancingwithtim.com, and I may feature it in a future newsletter. Let’s hear it!

Okay bye ily!
- Tim ❤️