At the end of every evening, before I climb into bed, hoping for a restful night’s sleep, I lay out a game plan for accomplishing my most important tasks for the next day. Being an optimist, I tend to place too many items on my wish list. I live for the rare day when I find myself in the blissful situation of marking each task as finished. Yesterday was not one of those days. I struggled and handled a never-ending stream of problems and minor crises almost as soon as I opened my eyes.

A single thought kept running through my mind, “Really? How hard can this be?” I have spent two weeks attempting to complete a financial transaction with a unique set of circumstances. Yesterday, I received an email stating everything was signed, sealed, and the last step was to authorize payment. Easy-peasy right? Nope, their system would not process the card on file, which precipitated another phone call, and a half-hour of listening to hold music. When a human answered, I explained the issue. I logged ten more minutes with the lovely music before I got the verdict. There was a problem with the invoice, and the only person who could fix it was out of the office.

Different versions of the same scenario repeated as I tried to make progress on any front. Even my online class was not immune. The conference call suffered from confusion, hesitation, delay, and a mad scramble to salvage something of value for our time. Around 5 P.M, I realized I had not yet read my daily tarot cards.

Under the sign of the Hanged Man, external events could well impede your projects. Act with prudence and remove one obstacle after the other to make progress. You’ll need to learn to exercise patience. Whatever you do, don’t expect too much of today since this could well turn out to be a day full of frustrations.

I wish I had read that earlier.

I always remember my number one writing priority. My core habits are strong, and writing a little every day is my secret weapon. Yesterday I wrote 353 countable words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Compared to the previous day’s flurry of activity, yesterday left me feeling like I moved through a swamp filled with mucky ooze and annoying cattails. I attributed part of the trudging sensation to my 9 to 5’s slow pace the past two days. It is uncharacteristic, but several coworkers are taking last-minute advantage of summer vacations. I guess this revelation means I now know who the troublemakers are.

The lull provided me with under-utilized hours I could have squandered playing my favorite game apps. Instead, I addressed minor tasks on my To-Do List, which I had shuffled into the Defer-Until-Later column. Yes, boys and girls, later, arrived yesterday. The best thing about these tasks is they often require very little input from the gray matter in my head. They are tailor-made for days when I don’t have the energy to think.

Each night, my insomnia monster crawls out from under my bed, and the lack of sleep forces me to take a quick nap as soon as I finalized my 9 to 5 duties. It’s not ideal, but napping allows me enough rest to honor my most important commitments. I carried yesterday’s theme of completing deferred tasks forward to my writing time. I sifted through a stack of books and filled a box with candidates for re-homing. I sorted, organized, shredded, and filed documents that had taken up residence on the corner of my desk. Next, I reviewed my course workbook and jotted notes and thoughts about how I might answer the questions.

Free of non-essential items, my desk stands ready for my anticipated explosion of inspiration. But first, I need to tame the monster under my bed. His name is Slav, and someone told me he gets hungry at midnight. I’m hoping he might enjoy chocolate chip cookies and a glass of warm milk. And maybe if I tell him a bedtime story, we can both get some sleep.

I always remember my number one writing priority. My core habits are strong, and writing a little every day is my secret weapon. Yesterday I wrote 332 countable words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

August’s weirdness continued with yesterday’s strange events. Tallying a mere three hours and forty minutes of sleep, I woke tired and in need of caffeine. My daily tarot cards represented a refreshing change from the ordinary doom and gloom. They predicted,

“Things will go smoothly. Your ambition is galvanized by the Devil and channeled by the Pope. They help you attain your goals today and to work efficiently and intelligently. You’ve got the energy to spare, but by staying calm, you’ll be able to weigh the pros and cons of all your decisions before acting on them. It’s a well-balanced day with no risk of failure looming.”

And so, my day progressed. The 9 to 5 was remarkable in the lack of drama. I tackled my course modules, finishing three in their entirety. For one exercise, I embarked on a search for a half-remembered phase and stumbled upon a site with pertinent information I will need for one of my anticipated scenes. Score. A fourth module involved setting up a workbook of questions designed for completing over the following nine lessons. After devising a strategic plan, I printed and assembled the manual with ease. Next, I conducted a preliminary overview of the fifth module before I ended my session.

But I still hadn’t finished. I updated my Kanban board and my daily planner and made a few decisive choices on several administrative tasks I have considered undertaking. They received assigned dates for implementation on my Q4 project list. With my decisions made, I picked up my current read that bombarded me with more potential ideas. It’s a good practice that I read with a pen and steno notebook by my side. Once again, I toyed with options for a Zettelkasten but figured I had done enough for one day.

I always remember my number one writing priority. My core habits are strong, and writing a little every day is my secret weapon. Yesterday I wrote 274 countable words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Maybe it’s the weather, or the 9 to 5 demands, or yesterday afternoon’s dental appointment, but something set a migraine pounding in my head. I know it is August by the heat, humidity, and my unruly hair. My weather app registered 95 degrees with a real feel of 104, and the thick air presented difficulties when I tried walking to my car. Did I mention the AC in my car isn’t working? I don’t consider it an issue, but I try to schedule my errands in early in the morning hours when it is cooler. Besides, it is way more fun to drive fast with both windows down. Wait, is that the reason my hair is a mess?

Anyway, the dental appointment amounted to my regularly scheduled cleaning, and I survived with no surprises. Still, when I returned home, the migraine hit me like a sledgehammer. Focusing on the computer screen long enough to read a paragraph was impossible. I tried reading a book—no dice. I took Tylenol. Nothing. I tried eating some Italian leftovers.

Why do some dishes taste so much better the next day? I purposely prepare certain soups, my stew, chili, and any curried dish, late at night so they can chill in the refrigerator until the next evening’s dinner. I think I’m adding tomato sauce to that list. Food—not matter how tasty—didn’t drive my migraine away. In the end, I opted for a 2-hour nap.

I always remember my number one writing priority. My core habits are strong, and writing a little every day is my secret weapon. Yesterday I wrote 252 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Mondays tend to be brutal tests of your stamina, your conviction to survive, and your ability to complete the mission-critical 9 to 5 requirements so you can have dinner at a reasonable hour. Yesterday was Italian night. Fresh tomato sauce, topped with garden-grown basil, and the best hand-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, accompanied by grilled sausage and the obligatory pasta. Another Italian necessity—a glass of chianti, before I headed to my desk to begin my real work for the day.

My first task—digging into the next plotting course assignment. I reviewed the paperwork, my notes, and six videos. Thank goodness for the ability to run videos at 2X speed. The good news is, I think the timeline I started last week to help with a plot problem will help me complete my homework. The second item on my task list entailed finishing the exercises for a module I started last week.

Somehow, I got distracted and sucked into an internet rabbit hole. I watched an older episode of “The Creative Penn Podcast,” which led me to track down the guest author’s book. I dragged myself back to reality, only to discover it was past my bedtime. I discarded the book I started reading Sunday night, and opted to crack open a book I picked up from my library earlier yesterday.

I always remember my number one writing priority. My core habits are strong, and writing a little every day is my secret weapon. Yesterday I wrote 221 countable words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday I indulged the needs of my poor sleep-deprived body, turned off my alarm, and slept for as long as I was able. I logged an astounding six hours and twenty-three minutes, which is double the amount of my best night’s rest for any night in the last week. Then I developed a theme for the day—indulging my desire to do nothing.

I ran a few errands, picked the first ripened tomatoes from the garden, washed and quartered them, plopped them in a pot, and set them on the stove to simmer. When they cooled, I took them for a spin through the food mill, and now I have the makings of the season first batch of tomato sauce. Yummy.

I sorted through two book boxes and earmarked over half of them to be re-homed. Next, I handled a backlog of household chores and ran a couple of loads of laundry. I cooked my dinner on the grill before  I settled onto the couch to watch a recently released tv show episode. I can not confirm or deny the possibility that I may have napped while watching tv.

I always remember my number one writing priority. My core habits are strong, and writing a little every day is my secret weapon. Yesterday I wrote 222 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

How exquisite the feeling is when you, at long last, reach the weekend. Yesterday’s 9 to 5 passed in a blur of emails, meetings, and final deadlines before I logged off and signed in for my weekly class. Once my lesson wrapped up, I decided the best way to celebrate this week was a toast with a glass of wine. A grueling work schedule, lack of sleep, and a small dose of alcohol had a surprising result—a nap. I believe it is the exact prescription the doctor ordered.

Yesterday I also embarked on my “fix-the-issue” strategy of writing out a detailed timeline hoping to discover the solution for my annoying plot problem. I thought this would be easy. It sounded like it would only take an hour of my time. But my OCD tendencies commandeered the leadership position. I found myself with eleven paragraphs of details, and I haven’t yet gotten to the heart of the issue. It’s ok since the words came easy, and I think I can also use the timeline to help me plan the scene structure before I actually start writing the first draft.

I always remember my number one writing priority. My core habits are strong, and writing a little every day is my secret weapon. Yesterday I wrote 196 countable words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

This week, each day seems indistinguishable from the next. Sleepless nights spent reading book after book in a restless pursuit to defy desperation and forego losing my mind while staring at the ceiling. I endure groggy days slogging through the 9 to 5 madness and wrack my befuddled mind during my scheduled writing time for insightful words and fascinating topics. Then there is the quagmire of my plotting project.

Yesterday I stumbled upon a potential twist that might solve my problems and patch together the storyline. The issue is, it feels like a patch. It doesn’t feel integrated, a cohesive and plausible event that is integral to the overall story. The events do not flow seamlessly from one scene to the next. For me, it is the kiss of death for this potential solution. I decided the next step in my “fix-the-issue” strategy is to write out a detailed timeline. Maybe that will shake something loose and deliver me from my plotting nightmare.

I always remember my number one writing priority. My core habits are strong, and writing a little every day is my secret weapon. Yesterday I wrote 241 countable words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

The constant round of sleepless nights is wearing thin. It is poor planning to fall asleep at 3 am, especially when your alarm is scheduled for six. I finished reading the book I began the night before and can therefore delude myself into believing I am not wasting my time. After surviving the grueling demands of the 9 to 5 workday, I listened to my sleep-deprived body and took a nap.

Then, I made a tremendous mistake and fell into an internet rabbit hole when I searched for “how-to” videos on my latest obsession—Zettelkasten. Like I needed another project. Part of me is hoping the distraction will allow my unconscious mind to devise a fabulous and unexpected solution for the plot issue I encountered. A long session of brainstorming ideas resulted in ideas that weren’t bad, but they weren’t great either. I feel like the ideal scenario is sitting right in front of me and laughing at my inability to grasp the genius of the simple twist. The words sit at the tip of my tongue where I can’t access them. I need them to be flowing out of my pen and onto the page. Maybe when I find the answer, I will also reclaim the ability to sleep.

I always remember my number one writing priority. My core habits are strong, and writing a little every day is my secret weapon. Yesterday I wrote 207 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Another sleepless night, followed by a never-ending 9 to 5 workday, left me with blurry eyes and no energy to perform even simple tasks. The upside is I am over halfway through my current book. If nothing else, I am taking plenty of research notes, getting ideas for new stories, and amassing an odd assortment of half-thought-out concepts logged into my arsenal. I started a new document titled “Random Thoughts” to collect these bits of insight, reflections, quotes, and general observations that seem significant enough that I don’t want to lose track of them.

Recently I have been revisiting a topic I discovered years ago. I am considering the advantages of developing a Zettelkasten for my notes. I am toying with transforming my “Random Thoughts” file entries into this format. While I am still in the research stage, this is sounding more and more attractive to me. I hope I can figure out a way to use it in a way that suits me best. Great. All I needed was another work in progress.

I always remember my number one writing priority. My core habits are strong, and writing a little every day is my secret weapon. Yesterday I wrote 162 countable words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer