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21.41: Barrier Breaking- Physical Fatigue

October 11, 2026 · 24 min

Show notes

What do you do when "take a break" isn't the answer? We’ve all ahd that feeling, "I’m just too tired to concentrate." This can be because you're worn out from work, or due to chronic fatigue or pain. This week, our hosts talk about working with the brain and body you actually have instead of expecting every writing day to look the same. We explore queuing up tasks for our tired future selves, falling back on craft, using placeholders, and shifting from productivity goals to satisfaction goals. Plus, how to recognize diminishing returns and build systems that help us stop before pushing ourselves into burnout.

Liner Notes:

Writing Bingo Card Generator

Homework:

Write down five things: three writing tasks you can do when you’re really tired, and two signs that tell you you’re approaching burnout—including the lies you tell yourself that keep you pushing when you need to stop. Keep the list close at hand and see if it helps when you can’t even.

Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.

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