Thank you for this, Jan. My powers of self-discipline have been in decline as our world declines into . . . .and I'm getting older. Your tactic of moving inbox and news consumption to after lunch set off a light bulb in my brain. That and meditating before writing. Appreciate your sharing strategies and the results!
Absolutely agree- leave the mornings news alone if you want to write in the morning! It’s the anti-zone. I love that you kept trying new strategies/ideas to find what works for you and what doesn’t.
Refreshing to learn the ups and downs of your process. I’ve been searching for the elusive writing habit myself. Early, early mornings seemed best for a moment but that requires an early bedtime and a good nights rest, the minute that doesn’t happen, poof goes my early early morning. But it is so peaceful and kind of magical. Might be worth another try!!
Yes! And I let myself be flexible. If I am utterly exhausted from a late night, I will write in the afternoon, but I still try to clear my mind first by meditating, even if it's only five or ten minutes. It also keeps me from reading news on the Internet, sometimes for the entire day. So there is that bonus.
Loved your piece, Jan. Very interesting. I’m more familiar with distraction than almost anything else. I’m going to check out that podcast. For me, it’s my timer that corrals my creative output.
Soon as I open my eyes in the morning, I throw my phone across the room, after its tuneful alarm wakes me up. I have a first-thing coffee prep routine that I call meditating. Full coffee cup in hand I jump into my wing chair, facing what will someday maybe be a nice garden. For now the mostly open space seems the perfect view. My notebooks & favorite pencil are right where I left them the morning before. I’m ready to write but have to go retrieve my phone first. As soon as I set the timer I can let go of everything - can’t do it without the timer for some reason. It must be like a meditation gong for me. Then I write whatever I want to write, which varies day to day. When the timer goes off, I can hit repeat, or quit. I’ve either done the minimum daily requirement or I’m rolling into hours of focused writing.
The news never gets better, so it can wait til afternoon, or tomorrow or the next day and I’ll still think of myself as a reasonably informed citizen.
Thanks for sharing these tips, Jan. Giving up on catching up with "what's the buzz" while I drink my morning tea is a challenge. I'm gonna try baby steps instead of cold turkeying it. Well, I did that today. Annnnd that's working as well as you'd suspect. LOL
Hi Rhonda, it's so nice to see you here. I've only had a couple of slips and when I have, I've noticed a dramatic decrease in productivity. I had a great productive day today and at 4:15, p.m. still haven't read the news. (I did check email for anything urgent, though)
Your last words of advice work for me: go for a nice long walk. I find it clears my mind and inspires constructive thoughts which I eagerly transfer to the written word. No news or meditation to interrupt that positive brain flow. Thanks!
Sometimes I do a two-fer in the form of a walking meditation, whidh really isn't that different from a walk (but no book on tape, or other distraction)
I guess it’s the old journalist in me that loves the 3:30-5:00 sweet spot for my writing. I feel like a freak sometimes because so many of my writer friends are more productive first thing in the morning. I like to clear the decks of other obligations before I can concentrate on my writing. But I think the point is “find what works for you and do it” is most important.
AMEN to no morning news-slash-clickbait! Going to try your suggestions & reread Pressfield.
Thank you for this, Jan. My powers of self-discipline have been in decline as our world declines into . . . .and I'm getting older. Your tactic of moving inbox and news consumption to after lunch set off a light bulb in my brain. That and meditating before writing. Appreciate your sharing strategies and the results!
I am so happy. I was grateful to happen upon that podcast. It is a constant battle to avoid distraction! Let me know how it goes.
Absolutely agree- leave the mornings news alone if you want to write in the morning! It’s the anti-zone. I love that you kept trying new strategies/ideas to find what works for you and what doesn’t.
Refreshing to learn the ups and downs of your process. I’ve been searching for the elusive writing habit myself. Early, early mornings seemed best for a moment but that requires an early bedtime and a good nights rest, the minute that doesn’t happen, poof goes my early early morning. But it is so peaceful and kind of magical. Might be worth another try!!
Yes! And I let myself be flexible. If I am utterly exhausted from a late night, I will write in the afternoon, but I still try to clear my mind first by meditating, even if it's only five or ten minutes. It also keeps me from reading news on the Internet, sometimes for the entire day. So there is that bonus.
OMG. This is breakthrough for me. You've discussed the exact issues I've been thinking about. All I can say is thank you Jan.
That makes me so happy!
Loved your piece, Jan. Very interesting. I’m more familiar with distraction than almost anything else. I’m going to check out that podcast. For me, it’s my timer that corrals my creative output.
Soon as I open my eyes in the morning, I throw my phone across the room, after its tuneful alarm wakes me up. I have a first-thing coffee prep routine that I call meditating. Full coffee cup in hand I jump into my wing chair, facing what will someday maybe be a nice garden. For now the mostly open space seems the perfect view. My notebooks & favorite pencil are right where I left them the morning before. I’m ready to write but have to go retrieve my phone first. As soon as I set the timer I can let go of everything - can’t do it without the timer for some reason. It must be like a meditation gong for me. Then I write whatever I want to write, which varies day to day. When the timer goes off, I can hit repeat, or quit. I’ve either done the minimum daily requirement or I’m rolling into hours of focused writing.
The news never gets better, so it can wait til afternoon, or tomorrow or the next day and I’ll still think of myself as a reasonably informed citizen.
That’s what works for me.
that sounds like a very effective system. I sometimes use a timer, too.
Thanks for sharing these tips, Jan. Giving up on catching up with "what's the buzz" while I drink my morning tea is a challenge. I'm gonna try baby steps instead of cold turkeying it. Well, I did that today. Annnnd that's working as well as you'd suspect. LOL
Hi Rhonda, it's so nice to see you here. I've only had a couple of slips and when I have, I've noticed a dramatic decrease in productivity. I had a great productive day today and at 4:15, p.m. still haven't read the news. (I did check email for anything urgent, though)
Your last words of advice work for me: go for a nice long walk. I find it clears my mind and inspires constructive thoughts which I eagerly transfer to the written word. No news or meditation to interrupt that positive brain flow. Thanks!
Sometimes I do a two-fer in the form of a walking meditation, whidh really isn't that different from a walk (but no book on tape, or other distraction)
I guess it’s the old journalist in me that loves the 3:30-5:00 sweet spot for my writing. I feel like a freak sometimes because so many of my writer friends are more productive first thing in the morning. I like to clear the decks of other obligations before I can concentrate on my writing. But I think the point is “find what works for you and do it” is most important.
those daily journalism hours are gold, though, right?