Helium is the one place you can indulge your addiction and not lose out. In fact, the more you indulge the more you get. Connecting with other writers, refining our craft in a competitive environment, watching writing and rating scores rise and fall - all lead to the exhiliration that drives writers further at Helium. How can you manage your Helium addiction? Here are some tips tried and tested by scores of Helium writers.

The "make every minute count" efficiency experts (Helium's MTM team):

Some Helium writers report that they cram in their Helium time in all kinds of odd moments: standing in grocery lines, delayed in doctors' offices, waiting for a class to begin, during television commercials, commuting on public transportation, while dinner cooks, etc. Another Helium writer uses a recorder to keep track of all her writing ideas, when she is in less writing-conducive settings. These Helium devotees "waste not, want not," adapting the adage to maximum time management (MTM) solutions. Of course, it takes an extraordinary degree of concentration to compose while moving or waiting. Has someone yet invented a front-chest body harness for laptops?

The sleep opportunists' strategists (Helium's SOS team):

These Helium writers work hard to induce those around them into deep sleeps, so they can maximize their writing time in peace and quiet. Scheduling regular nap times for young ones and slipping away while spouses snooze, seem their most prominent tactics. Given the somnambulist effects of turkey, one wonders if Helium cooks resort to such culinary inducements. Have sleep remedy sales soared among Helium writers seeking solitude? What new melodies emerge when keyboard clicks are accompanied by snores and purrs? And how do these Heliumites resist the lure of rest, in an environment that resonates with such soothing sounds? Coffee seemed the Helium beverage of choice!

The set life aside squad (Helium's SLAS team):

This subset of Helium loyalists pares down entertainment options in order to maximize writing time. Electricity expenses shift from televisions and sound systems to computer user time. Dates get postponed. Meals reduce to snacks one can munch safely beside keyboards. Sealed drink containers are essential, to prevent spills that could destroy computers. Hand and ankle weights can be added to integrate exercise time: arm lifts while thinking, high steps while typing. For single Heliumites, their only interruptions come from hearing the message machine collect yet another unanswered phone call. For married Heliumites, a snarly neglected spouse or child acting out may derail a well-thought out teaser line. Whimpering dogs or moaning cats also interject.

The all things in balance and harmony (Helium's ATBAT team):

This rare breed of Helium writers makes sure that solitude gets balanced with society. Well balanced meals and sufficient exercise (in fresh air) become prioritized in each day. They remain attuned to spouses, children, and others in their lives. They keep pace with their jobs. They do the dishes and bathe regularly. Their writing flows more abundantly from the fullness of their life. One wonders: Is the ATBAT team real or imagined, or, perhaps, a mere hologram?

Learn more about this author, Barbara Whitlock.
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