I was reading this article and although I’m not a great writer, I do have some kind of a routine I try to stick to. It seems like people who are early risers get more done, but those night owl seem to make more creative work at the witching hour. There are at least five things I do every day that help me focus.
First thing first, Coffee
I don’t know about you but I can’t get going without it. For a long time I gave it up because I had the worst heartburn, especially in the morning. But for the past three months I’ve been sticking to a gluten free diet, which is easier than I thought it would be. It’s definitely made the difference, and I’m drinking a cup of coffee in the morning again. I make espresso in my grandmother’s little steel coffee maker she got in Italy, and then I usually have a cup of regular perk coffee. I also use stevia instead of sugar. I’ve been using stevia in everything, even in baking, for so long real sugar hurts my stomach.
Yoga
I’m no pro, but I’ve been doing some simple moves for the past 15 years just to get loose enough to go running. But since my knees are starting to really kill, yoga is my main workout now. I follow Psyche Truth on Youtube , I’m not really a gym person. And classes kinda scare me, just because I have a thing about germs. But doing a really simple routine in the morning for 20-40 minutes really helps my back since I usually have to be at a desk all day. I did think yoga was supposed to be relaxing but wow, after my workout I am usually sweating!
Write Everyday
Even if it’s just for 20 minutes, I think it’s like exercising your brain. You would think like any exercise, you’d eventually get better the more you do it and eventually it gets easier. NOPE. Not even a little. The best you can do is keep at it and over time you’ll develop some good habits. I’ve heard of people who make flash cards and rearrange them to make the plot flow better, but I’m probably the worst. I sit down and just write what comes to mind, then I rearrange later. It works best with short articles, but for longer works, like the novel I’ve been writing for the past decade, it’s not ideal. I have re-written my outline a million times, but still there are nights when I wake up and have to commit to paper something really random that has no place in the story. That’s probably why I’m not done yet.
Cook
Make at least one meal a day for yourself. If you’re not a savvy chef these subscription boxes are really amazing. But even if it’s just a soft boiled egg over a simple green salad, there is something meditative about the cooking process. I find it really interesting and I could marathon Mind of a Chef all day long. For a long time I was stuck in a terrible job, and so many things were outside of my control. But going through the kitchen I felt like I could control this moment, and sometimes those simple things are so important for keeping your sanity together.
Drink Water
I can’t say this enough, DRINK WATER. It’s the first thing I do even before coffee. I keep a 32 oz smoothie glass filled with filtered water and a straw in my bedroom so it’s the first thing I ingest when I wake up. It helps with digestion, skin elasticity, headaches, basically everything. In addition, I’m not sure if this is true but I drink through a straw because I think it minimizes the creases that create wrinkles over time. I once worked with someone in her 40s who had perfect skin, for real she looked like a teenager and the one thing she always did was drink through a straw. Hey, at this point I’m willing to try anything to preserve my youth.
A few other things I’ve been doing lately include some crystal therapy. I’m not sure if it works, but I’ve been doing some research on my own. Did you know that baltic amber has some kind of chemical compound that is said to reduce pain? It leeches out of the amber slowly. I actually bought a baby necklace made of amber so I could wear it as an anklet, a while back I messed up my ankle trying to start running again. I also keep a piece of tigers eye near the front door for protection, and a small crystal quartz orb in the bedroom to absorb bad vibes. As I said, not even sure if it works but I think it’s a point to focus on. It helps me find a place where I can just relax and be mindless.
I’ve also been playing with the tarot cards again. What I mean by ‘play’ I mean just for fun and never for serious or for money. I do it for friends, and myself of course. It’s another tool that helps me focus. When I say some things help me be ‘mindless’ I mean that it’s a way to clear a space in a meditative way. I’m really not one for sitting still in a large group in silence, so small rituals I can do on my own are more my speed.
Keep doing the things you love, and good things will be drawn to you.
