This piece is an experiment. I’m writing in the half hour I have between brushing my teeth and getting dressed for work. I had been using this time for My mediation practice since 2018 until recently when I fell out of the habit and have spent the time with a bit of reading, but more on YouTube.
Already I feel better and that is the goal.
I write for three main reasons. The first is to share what I know which I think may be of use to others. The second is to help me make sense of the world. And, the third is to record my personal history. I estimate it’s a 60:30:10 split. Periodically, as is the case now, I find myself desperate to write. Ideas are coming so thick and fast I can’t process each and many give rise to others, either as a naturally follow-on or a precursor that needs attention. They clog my mind yet the window for release is small and with each idea rushing forward to the exit at the same time, nobody escapes.
A trigger for this morning’s writing came from a post by Macpsych where they noted the benefits of taking notes on their laptop in the morning rather than doomscrolling. It must have sat in the back of my mind waiting to pounce in the early hours of the morning. I have that time, why not use it.1 Looking up the reference for yesterday’s post, I saw “For me [Macspych], blogging is a way to get stuff out of my mind. Whether anyone else reads it isn’t really the point. But if you do, thanks for taking the time.”2 I couldn’t agree more.
I’m trying to solve a secondary issue besides the discomfort of pressure in my mind. When I’m blocked up with personal ideas it becomes near impossible to be creative at work. My creative attention is elsewhere. As David Allen says, “If you don’t pay attention to the things that have your attention, you’ll give them more attention than they deserve.” With that comes the workplace guilt and I end up in a funk feeling worse and worse.
I know that evenings are not the time to write. At the end of the day I don’t have the energy. Friday mornings have been good but what was developing as a habit was overtaken by a weekly gym session and I assert that building my physical strength is more important. Once a week though is insufficient when the ideas are coming fast and I need to be writing more frequently to keep the outlet open and the flow going.
This piece is an experiment. It feels worthwhile and I’ll see how the day goes. Knowing I’ll be able to write tomorrow morning instead of deferring my ideas to the end of the day feels better. For the record, this is just 15 minutes worth.
Footnotes
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I have managed one successful Proprioceptive writing session in the past. ↩