Arguably I've been making NaNoWriMo sound like an insurmountable task over the last few blogs and the last thing I want to do is put off anyone thinking about trying it. I think it's worth remembering that it can be challenging for everyone, and seeing people through the challenging bits is really important, because we can feel a bit isolated in those moments and for some of us, me included, a bit of pre-planning can help to avoid the whirling pit of despair that can open up because of that. It's also been one of my primary functions for the last I can't quite remember how many years, and I feel like I might be a bit stuck in that mode.
You can make it a lot easier for yourself with a bit of forward planning and I think I've mentioned that before, or for some people the actual life side might be a bit easier. Forward planning isn't everyone's forte and it's certainly not mine in most respects, but with a supreme amount of effort and the outside motivation of "CRAP, NANO IS COMING! LOOK READY!" I can do bits and pieces that do make for an easier time.
If you live with someone else who is pretty much willing to look after you like you're a very small child, that is going to help sp much. I realise that living with parents is very often not an uncomplicated situation and not everyone's parents believe in doing everything for them, but living "at home" can help and being in a relationship when your partner is happy to take up some of the slack can help. I've also had some pretty nice housemates that were willing to do bits and pieces. Beyond that, if you live somewhere that you can get a laundry service, you're in a position to pay for meals to be prepared for you, where you don't have anyone else (including pets) to care for, you're in a good place, but most of us can't afford those sorts of services, so what do you do to prepare?
Well first off, accept the inevitability of the fact that preparation is more like the momentum which starts the month, rather than something which will sustain you throughout. What I mean by that is, don't expect that you can have a months worth of perfectly laundered clothes, pre-made meals, bought in snacks, cleaning done and everything else your little heart desires to make it easier. Be realistic. Even if you do own enough pairs of underpants to make it from one end of the month to the other without doing a load of laundry, there's a phrase about ... 'stuff' happens, and also when you get to the end of the month you don't want to be going commando whilst waiting for the washer to finish on a load that is solely your undercrackers and they don't dry instantly. (Also, the rice pudding advert says you can microwave your socks dry, not your smalls, so just don't even think of it). You would hope that the gross things I've heard about how to make a pair of boxers last four days were out of my Scouts or the younger version, but sadly not. Let me tell you, the only way that doing something like that will help you with NaNoWriMo is going to be people talking will distract you less, because they will take a wide berth from you due to the smell. Whilst I am joking about all of this (and I am joking, believe me) the serious point is, yes, of course make sure you do all that you can to make the early few days or weeks of NaNo simpler, but also accept the fact that the majority of us are going to have domestic tasks to attend to again at some point within the month and that is not only okay, but it's actually really healthy. Taking a break from staring at the screen is right for your eyes, but it's also good for your brain.
On the theme of being realistic, it's all well and good deciding to make yourself fifty tubs of vegetable soup and freezing them, if you have the space to, before NaNoWriMo if you will actually then defrost and eat them, but if not your wasting time, money and energy into something that's not actually helping you at all. You'll be much better off thinking about really quick and easy meals that you can throw together - remembering to add at least a couple of fruit and vegetables so you don't end the month aiming to get scurvy - because it'll work out cheaper and it's easier to convince yourself to eat than something you made that you've already decided you wish you hadn't bothered with. There is a reason I'm not offering specifics here. I'm fussy about food because of textural issues - no mother, I'm not just a picky eater!! - so I eat WEIRD things, and what I eat might not be someone else's 'safe' foods, and given we are a global organisation, the things I recommend might not even be available where you are.
The most important thing, and I think this about life in general and not just about NaNoWriMo, is, think about what balls you can drop. Very often life can feel like a game of beach volleyball but in reverse, so instead of lots of people trying to keep the ball off the floor there's one person and a lot of balls. You might share a ball with other people - my mum, my dad and I all share the ball that is responsibility for Teddy (the dog) so it's not all on one of us - but other's will belong solely to you. It's worth thinking about which ones of these you can share with friends and family, of course, but it's also worth thinking about which ones matter if they hit the floor and which ones don't. The laundry, for example. Personally, I have a massive laundry hamper and more clothes than I can wear in a six week period, so if I don't do laundry, it's not going to be too big of a problem (until I have a meltdown and want a particular set of pjs and they're not washed, but that's another issue). Feeding yourself is not a ball that can be dropped. School work and similar, or work work isn't usually a ball that can be dropped, though some of us do take annual leave during NaNo because it makes things easier, we have the leave and we can. That's all fine. Limiting the responsibilities you have elsewhere is definitely valid.
BUT...
You have to think what that costs you. I don't just mean financially though that certainly comes into it, but instead, what are the consequences of dropping that ball? For me, laundry wise, it's simple things like, what I want might not be available. It's not great, but the world isn't ending. I will then have ten plus loads to do of laundry when NaNoWriMo is over? Problem? No, but I despise laundry sitting around the house drying. Okay, so is there a different solution? Yes, my mum might be able to do some of my laundry for me when she's on her slower weeks at work. It comes back dry and folded and she even irons things for me (I don't iron) HOWEVER I need to drive it over there, and then drive back and the same in reverse to get it back. There is always going to be some degree of conversation there, which takes time I could be writing and there is also SO MUCH TRAFFIC around here at the moment that the drive is not as simple as usual and it's not overly quick. I've also been told that you can't write at the same time as driving, partly because a lot of speech to text apps suck, so I'm going to have to sacrifice writing time to be able to utilise that option. Same for if my mum offers to make me dinner. It's whether the time away from the computer screen is worth it for the benefit it gives.
I think we'd all like to live in a magical world where there are mice to do all of the housework and a chef prepares what we would like to eat just at the time we need to eat it, and our tea or coffee cups never get cold and never run out, but in the absence of a perfect world, we're just going to have to do our best, aren't we?
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