I Stopped Writing for a While

And it helps me get back on track

I haven’t been writing for several months.

I took a break.

What Happened?

Work has been more demanding.

I took over another team back in April, and my number of direct reports doubled from ten to twenty. I have 3–4 hours of back-to-back meetings every day. Team, people, project, tech management, etc. Incidents occur every week. It’s been hard to do anything else outside of work.

Writing also started to make me anxious 😰

Every time I looked at the numbers, it made me uneasy.

It’s easy to treat writing as a side income builder, but that’s not the right mindset.
It turned into a side job. And once I started treating it like a job, I stopped enjoying it.

I didn’t realize this at first, but it gradually drained me. I became afraid to click the notification icon on Substack to see replies or comments. I didn’t want to know how many “likes” I got or what people thought of my posts. Even drafting new ideas started to stress me out.

Eventually, I just stopped.

So I Took a Break

I decided to focus on improving myself.

I started going to the gym 🏃

This has been one of the biggest changes in my life. I hadn’t worked out for years since the pandemic began. It’s one of the best investments I’ve made in my health, and I should have started earlier.

It was tough at first, but now it’s part of my routine. I feel better about myself. Without good health, it’s impossible to handle pressure well.

And I started to adjust my mindset toward writing 😇

Writing should be something I enjoy. It’s a way to share what I’ve learned and to express myself. Yes, it can support my career and generate side income, but if I don’t enjoy the process, it achieves neither.

Only the right mindset makes writing sustainable.

I’ve also been experimenting with different writing workflows.

One problem was that I didn’t have a system that really worked for me. (I still don’t, to be honest.) I stuck with bad habits, and the pressure built up.

A good workflow should make writing easier, not heavier. Now, I’m exploring new approaches: using AI tools, finding deep-work time, and even adjusting my desk setup.

One surprising discovery: voice input. This article was mostly written by voice. I spoke, then edited. And I finally realized how slow I am at typing 😅

Where I Am Now

I wouldn’t say I’m fully recovered. This is one of my first attempts to get back into writing, and I hope I can keep the momentum going.

One thing that encouraged me: when I opened Substack a few weeks ago, I noticed my subscriber count had grown — even though I hadn’t posted in months. People still care. New readers are still finding me. That means a lot.

I still feel uneasy reading replies or comments. But one step at a time. For now, I’ll focus on writing again. I’ll click that notification button when I’m ready :)

Hope everyone has a great day!