Dear Reader,
Book Club reader, Nyssa F. wrote to me...
Hi Suzanne,
I started a new habit and as I did, I thought of you and your column, so I hope you don't mind if I share.
I used to journal every day. For 15 years every night before bed I put my thoughts down on the page.
And then...
Then I had children.
The desire to journal didn't leave me, if anything I wanted to write more, record every milestone, every laugh and every frustration. But suddenly my "me time" had become very defined. One hour, maybe three, if I was lucky in a day. (I am not one of those people who skips the sleep to have free time. Doesn't work.)
So now all my hobbies were clamoring for time. Reading, watching TV, gardening, knitting, cooking, baking, playing a game, writing, yoga...but there was only one hour.
For the past four years I've been journaling intermittently. The past dry spell was three months. After the first month, other obstacles start rearing their heads. Now I have too many updates. I don't know where to start. I'm not in the mood. I'd rather do something else. Finally I got fed up with myself and made myself a deal.
I've started setting a timer on my phone for 15 minutes. For 15 minutes during the day I write. I don't let myself think about it, or talk myself out of it. The timer starts and I start writing, starting at whatever spot inspires me. And when the timer goes off, I put down my pen.
Yes, I've still talked myself out of a few nights. But this new habit is both freeing and holds me to an accountability I needed. Now that I've shared, I have an extra accountability--it's not just a compact between me and myself.
Thanks for reading.
Nyssa F.
(Suzanne replies:) I think you're onto something Nyssa. And you've made it easy to succeed at your goal, because you've decided on an amount of time that doesn't feel overwhelming. Instead it's become your 15 minutes of fun. I appreciate you sharing your idea with me.
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
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