Yesterday I dared to recreate my previous day’s results. Can you believe it? I finished not one, two, or even three modules for my online class. Incredibly, I completed nine more units. Again. I repeated my proven process of watching videos, reading lessons, taking copious notes, and completing the corresponding exercises. To say my hand developed cramps and sore muscles is a grievous understatement, but I didn’t stop until I filled my steno pad. I’m not sure how it happened, but my notebook had the exact number of sheets I needed for everything I didn’t want to forget. That never happens, and yet, it did. My poor arm, shoulder, and neck deserve a nice, long massage.

The best part is the lessons kicked my mind into high gear, and I have a separate page filled with more ideas for my story. Yippee. I am thrilled I waited to begin work on the exercises in the Lesson 18 workbook until after receiving the instructions in the modules. Knowing the requirements and having my idea log will make finishing it easier—an almost fill-in-the-blank exercise. I am still behind, but I have made great strides forward in completing the coursework. Even better is feeling my story’s flow. I have two writing assignments to submit for the instructor’s review, along with the 60-page workbook—but that’s not all. Plenty of writing lies ahead to complete, but I have the holiday weekend in front of me.

And yesterday was not a total loss for attacking my To-Do List. The mandatory grocery store trip happened, the kitchen received a quick tidy-up, two loads of laundry found their way through the washing and drying cycles before returning to their proper homes, and I still found time to meet friends for dinner. I’m refusing to pinch myself because I don’t want to discover I am only dreaming.

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 251 countable words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday I amazed even myself. I worked my way through not one, two, or even three modules for my online class. Nope, not even close. Are you ready? I finished nine of those units. It was as if time stood still. I watched videos, read lessons, took notes, and completed the corresponding exercises. My hand became sore from writing pages and pages of notations, and when I counted, I had filled 12 sheets of my steno notebook with important information. The cramps started in my hand, radiated up my arm, and squeezed the muscles in my shoulder and neck into hard knots. Don’t let anyone tell you writers don’t suffer for their craft.

The concentrated effort required to accomplish the massive push forward on my class schedule meant I did nothing else after fulfilling my 9 to 5 sentence. The To-Do List remained untouched. Sadly, since I fell behind on my homework, and even with all of yesterday’s progress, I am still behind, and still six modules short of reaching the halfway point and 14 short of current. Never fear because I have a plan. Don’t I always have a plan? Enter a long holiday weekend with few distractions and a burning desire to finish this class, and move on to Phase Two of my master plan.

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 240 countable words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday I dubbed Pesky Problem Resolution Day. I drove a friend to their doctor’s appointment, and while we waited for their test results, I tracked down and completed several nuisance tasks. I sifted through emails, and after two weeks of back and forth, unproductive phone calls, and promises of a return call, I reached the right person. The pesky financial transaction is no longer a thorn in my side. Yippee. It’s a good thing I am persistent.

Since I was on a roll, I figured the best use of my time was to see just how many irritations I could resolve. The answer is six, in about four hours. I bounced between pulling information, composing emails, texting, a couple of quick phone calls, and chatting with my friend. I even updated my reminder list. How did we ever survive without phones and access to email accounts, note-taking apps, synchronized calendars, and reminder notifications? Batching those noxious follow-ups and working on them in what would otherwise have been unproductive time made the process feel more like a game. The best part is I don’t have to worry and wonder when I might get around to them. I have crossed them from my list, and I can forget about them.

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 253 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday I woke with a migraine. Perfect. One of those days. I scrubbed my plans to restart my daily walk. Even though the temperature was in the range I love for walking, the humidity was high, and the air quality was questionable. Thinking about each footfall hammering in my already throbbing head nearly made me nauseous. I chose another day of yoga instead. While some postures increased the drumming, at least I wasn’t a mile from home.

I made a fresh batch of tomato sauce since my garden has reached full production mode. But I am baffled and can’t figure out why the sauce is disappearing as fast as I cook it. The sauce, made with my fresh basil, is excellent. At this rate, I won’t have any extra to freeze for later in the winter. Perhaps I need to place a note in my garden planner to double the number of plants I set out next spring.

I was hoping the migraine would ease, but I wasn’t that lucky. A dull, persistent roar was the lowest volume I had heard all day. While it was better than earlier, it still made concentrating difficult. I selected another short book to read, and I finished it in a few hours. Too tired to attempt anything further, I opted for an early bedtime.

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 220 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday was awful. Added to the typical Monday misery of the 9 to 5, my muscles screamed at me after helping a friend move on Sunday. You can’t imagine what an enormous relief it was to log out, lay down, and rest. I planned to start working on the next module for my online course, but the sentences kept fading away, and they made little sense. I couldn’t concentrate on anything beyond how sore I was. My aching muscles needed time to recover. Enter my extended nap.

When I woke, I felt a little better, but the sluggish mind fog remained. I looked at my To-Do list and selected only the tasks I felt capable of completing. I cleaned out the refrigerator, sorted through a couple of boxes, vacuumed the floors, took a hot shower, updated my Master List of Things-To-Do, and started reading a new book. The book was short, making it a fast read, and I finished it a little after my usual bedtime. It wasn’t the most stellar kind of day, but I salvaged what I could and kept it from being a total disappointment.

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 150 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday, I helped a friend move. It was excruciating. The heat and the humidity worsened with an afternoon thunderstorm.  Add in the job’s physical demands, and my energy level plummeted into the sub-basement. A job that should have taken a few hours, instead, consumed my entire day. Optimistic me found a bright spot for the sweaty work. During the frequent rest breaks, I finished reading a book. Perhaps when I consider everything, there is another silver lining for my efforts. I helped a friend when nobody else would. Now the job is done, completed, and I can move on to more meaningful projects. But before I return to the fray, my aching muscles need a day to recover.

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 288 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday, I slept. After falling asleep at three in the morning, I didn’t wake until almost eleven. I wasn’t in a hurry to get out of bed, either. I finished reading my book, indulged myself with a couple of game rounds on my phone, then watched a YouTube program. Sweet, slow-moving, unhurried bliss. The weather remained hot and humid, and the cicadas droned on incessantly. I scoured my tomato plants for the ripest fruits, cleaned and refilled the birdbath, and added more birdseed to the feeder.

Neither human nor fowl wished to exert themselves unduly during the dog days of August. One little sparrow scrapped out an area in the feeder’s hopper and took up residence in the shade, surrounded by plenty of food. Other birds congregated in mass around the freshwater, and even the squirrels came to drink long, thirsty gulps of the water without shooing their competition away. I retreated to the relative comfort of my climate-controlled home and gave thanks. Because of the miracle of modern technology, I was not obliged to sweat, seek shade, and hope for a cooling puff of air.

The air conditioning left me plenty of mental capacity to start and finish a lengthy module for my online course. When I finished, I considered the possibility of a long nap before dinner. Since it seemed like a good idea, and I couldn’t conceive of a compelling reason to abstain, I gave in and curled up with a new book. Some days are ideal for a little extra rest.

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 363 countable words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

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