| I suck at sticking to habits so I built an app to make it easier for myself. Some context: <https://enso.sonnet.io> and here <https://sonnet.io/posts/ulysses> I write every day, ca. 800 words per day and I don't really have to force myself to do it any more. When I don't have time to do it, I miss it. And I really, really struggle with sticking to habits. I journal to: - be more aware of my emotions and thought patterns, feel more present
- to have a space to think without editing myself (divergent thinking)
- to notice broader patterns in my life, in my behaviour
- to rant
- to practice taking different perspectives (reframing)
- to build snapshots of my life at a given moment (that came after a few months of writing, it wasn't my plan) I write every day after waking up, for ca 15-30 minutes depending on how much time I have. I do my best to never skip more than one day, and on the following day I try to catch up. My journal didn't have much structure to start with, but with time some patterns emerged and generally it looks a bit like this: 1. how I felt when I woke up (incl. dreams)
2. how my day went
3. how I felt in the evening
4. what I found interesting and/or beautiful (list)
5. what I need to do today (list) 1-3 are very unstructured and full of typos. My app makes it hard to edit changes, so I embraced that and just focus on the flow. I don't mind. Results: - Generally, I feel much more present when I write in the morning
- This is a big one for me: It's easier to spot red flags (lowered mood, anxiety, lack of focus, avoidance) and work with that. For instance, if I notice that I feel more anxious than usual, I add a TODO with a quick walk, making sure that I don't neglect myself (eat the damn breakfast), or even just spending more time with my partner on that day
- Writing how I feel allows me to spot certain patterns, i.e. if read HN in the morning, even for 5 minutes, I can become less focused, I'm more moody if I don't sleep well, etc... I can build routines to counteract that.
- Writing like this (not unlike music) can help you soothe or amplify your current mood. This can be a problem, but you can also learn how to use that.
- my fluency when it comes to writing has improved drastically I need to run, so apologies for any typos in advance. In short I can only recommend it! If you want to learn more feel free to come and say hi! (https://sonnet.io/post/hi) |