“I hate writing, I love having written.”
― Dorothy Parker
And that, my friends,
is my problem. Makes me think I should pick up some of old Dorothy’s books and
see what she managed to churn out in spite of herself. I’ve been told I’m a
good writer, but to be honest, sometimes it’s hard to make myself do it, even
though I like the results. Well, sometimes. But I guess like any other hobby/pastime/passion/whatever,
no matter how much you enjoy something, it can become a chore at times. You
just have to push through that, and keep your eyes on the good times ahead.
Kind of like bikers in the winter. Sure, your fingertips get numb, and your
whole body is tense, but on some level, the ride itself is still fun, or you
wouldn’t do it. So you push through, waiting anxiously for warmer weather.
I do want to write more. Once upon a time, I wrote nearly every day. I keep
saying I’m going to do that again. I also keep saying I’m going to do some
other things more, too. It’s well past time for talking about it, and I’m getting
a pretty late start at the actual doing. It’s time to put up or shut up. Fish
or cut bait. Shit or get off the pot.
I’m inspired by a friend. She made a list of changes she wanted to make in her
life, and created an Instagram account to post about it and to hold herself
accountable. She has a hundred things on her list, and is adding one each day,
then accounting for how she implements the new habits, and how she’s
maintaining them all as time goes on.
While I applaud my friend, and enjoy her posts, I know myself well enough to
know that that level of both detail and obligation (even self-imposed) would just
backfire and basically push me away. So, I’m following her inspiration, but
with my own spin.
So, in no particular order, here’s my own list, with accompanying commentary.
·
Write.
I used to write blog posts a few times a week. I’m
going to get back to that. I think I also want to try to work in some more
fiction. I may not post the fiction, at least not immediately, but I’d like to
work up to writing at least an hour per day average. Life happens, so obviously
actual time spent will fluctuate, and if I end up doing more on a regular basis,
that’s even better.
·
Exercise
I’m solidly into middle age, and terribly out of
shape, so in the interest of realism, I’m not looking at any bodybuilding
competitions or marathons or whatever. Just trying to get my ass in motion and
feel better in general. Maybe as I improve, I’ll develop more ambitious goals,
but for now, I’m looking to grind out a walk and/or some pushups and
situps/crunches every day.
·
Read
I used to be this guy who had a book in his lunchbox
to read on break at work, another book or magazine on the coffee table to pick up
during commercials while watching TV, and one on the nightstand for pre-sleep
reading. Then along came the internet and close on its heels, social media.
Then easy streaming bingeing of
TV shows and movies. I actually fell out of the habit of reading for a while. I’m
reading more now, but I’d like to expand it. So, I’m committing to an hour per
day (not counting what reading I do on break at work). I’ve never been good
about reading nonfiction, so I’m looking to bump that up too. Part of the
commitment is to read at least one chapter a day of nonfiction. Honestly, this
is probably going to be the easiest part of the whole program.
·
Stay current on correspondence
When I got my first smartphone, I thought it would
help me stay in touch and up to date with communication. Nah, it helped me
waste even more time with its easy access to things like Facebook and Twitter.
Sure, I can read emails during the day when I’m nowhere near my computer. But
then I decide that a reply will be easier on the full sized keyboard at home.
And I promptly forget to go back and write that reply. As a result, I have a
backlog of emails and Messenger messages waiting my attention. So, the goal
here is to fix that and to stay on top of the messages. I’ll work out some sort
of system. Maybe set aside a day a week to make sure I catch up on anything I’ve
put off over the previous seven days.
·
Less “TV”
The quotation marks indicate that TV means all those
things I use the TV for: Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, DVDs. Movies, shows, all of it. The
goal is to limit it to an hour a day. This will honestly probably fluctuate a
bit, too, and that’s okay. I’ll also make exceptions for days I’m stuck at home
sick, and obviously if I decide to watch a movie that will go over the time. I
think in this case, the spirit of the law is more important than the letter of
the law.
·
Disconnect more from the phone
I’ve become more addicted to my phone than a teenage
girl, and that needs to stop for a number of reasons. I took a couple of steps
already. A few months ago, I deleted the Facebook app. That alone reduced my
phone screen time. I just started a new job where we’re not allowed to have
phones on our person while working, so that’s been a big help in making this
particular adjustment, too. I can’t reach for the phone just because I have
thirty seconds of space to fill.
I’m hoping that writing out this list and posting it
online will help bolster my commitment to making some improvements. I started
out trying to push myself to write more, and look at this. An all-around self improvement
plan. Who knew writing could also make you a better person?
I know this is kind of a boring blog post, but I guess I’m trying to rehab my
writer’s legs. Gotta crawl before I can walk, right?
Wish me luck, y’all. Here I goooooo……
P.S. I know it’s a big no-no because of SEO and original content and all, but I’m
doing a copy and paste of this onto both of the blogs I’m maintaining. These
are www.ridinandwritin.blogspot.com
and www.handgrenadesandhorseshoes.blogspot.com.
Whichever one you’re reading this on, take a few minutes and check out my other
writing on the other blog.
P.P.S Thanks for the inspiration, BW. Thanks for the occasional written kick in
the ass to help motivate me, too.
