Writing helps me focus. By journaling in the morning, I can 'download' my thoughts, feelings and observations to the page, clearing my head while getting my brain working creatively. There's no form, just a few paragraphs on what's going on and what I'm thinking. I don't judge what I've written; I just write. This clears the way for more creative work. Here is a brief description of my journaling and writing habits.
Journals
I wake up between 6 and 630am. I have a glass of water, wash my face, brush my teeth and do some stretching. Next, I perform several rounds of breathing exercise per the Wim Hof method, followed by meditation. Then, I grab a cup of coffee and begin writing.
In a daily planner, I record a brief description of the previous day's events and metrics including: wake and sleep times, meals ate, and miles walked. Recording these details lets me look back on what the day was like and what I accomplished.
In another notebook, I make a journal entry everyday (well, almost everyday). Usually I'll write about what happened the previous day. Journaling lets me write about anything and everything, in no particular order. I can get whatever's floating around in my mind onto the page. This is a great morning practice because I can exercise my brain by focusing on the writing. Last year, I journaled everyday for 80 days which solidified journaling as part of my morning routine. After journaling I will work on a blog post (as I am doing now) or another creative writing project.
Notebooks
While watching or listening to something throughout the day, I will jot down details in another notebook (I have lots of notebooks). I do this for later reference but also because note-taking helps to remember details. Sometimes these notes become a blog post or another piece of writing. Browsing through my notebook, I see notes on various topics strewn about; they include my interests at that particular time, my observations, and my thoughts.
Typewriting
Since picking up a typewriter last week, I've been experimenting with different styles of writing. Sometimes I'll write a journal-style piece or a creative-nonfiction essay. Last week, I took a scene from a fictional novel I'm writing and tried it out on the typewriter. As an exercise, I re-wrote the screen from memory to see how it would come out. With the typewriter, I'm learning not to 'micro-edit'. When I write on the computer, I'll immediately edit what I wrote instead of getting it down as it comes and editing later, like I do with the typewriter. Plus, the typewriter is just fun to use.
Whether using a pencil in a journal, blogging on my laptop, or using a typewriter, writing helps me focus. It lets me spit out all my thoughts and organize them. I enjoy the editing process, where random sentences can come together into a cohesive piece. Even if I don't work on a project, I'm still glad I journaled that day. I will always find the time and place to write. When I'm writing, I'm only focused on what's in front of me.
KW
P.S. See below for scans of my first draft of this post.
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