At the beginning of April, I created a massive To-Do list. I felt anxious, stressed, and I found it difficult to sleep because I couldn’t stop my brain from running in a never-ending circle. When I dreamed, it was a nightmare of failures because I forgot something important. To end the madness, I opened an Excel spreadsheet and performed a brain dump. The exercise yielded a list of 208 items. No wonder I was a basket case. I then created categories and due dates, set up filters, and assigned color codes. I love Excel. That night I finally slept well.

The Brain-dump list became my lifeline, and each week I update the file. It has grown larger but nothing crazy. There are now 231 line items, with 51 items forever moved into the completed column. This week I am juggling 74 In-process tasks. By Friday, I hope to transfer another 12 items to the TA-Done column. Yesterday I finished assembling five of the ten new dining room chairs. The stairs received two finish sealer coats, and work began on refinishing all nine interior doors. I even finished the book on my daily reading list and started on the next one. Every day I celebrate the small wins.

Even with the hustle and bustle, I didn’t forget my number one priority. My habits are strong, and writing a little every day is my secret weapon. Yesterday I wrote 195 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Monday hit me with a sledgehammer. The 9 to 5 bled every ounce of patience from my being as I sat in an endless string of meetings. I pushed agendas forward, keep participants on topic, fostered problem-solving on the fly, supported alternate solutions to problems, cut off long-winded tangents, redirected the group’s focus towards reaching our goal, and encouraged everyone. Hoorah. Then I started my actual work.

Work progresses on the house project list. The boards, cleats, and trim pieces for the linen closet have been cut to size and sport a white primer coat. The contractor refinishing the stairs reached the stage where he stained the risers and treads and achieved a phenomenal match to the original spindles and banister. I have windows and doors open and fans running to dispel the fumes and hasten drying times. My bed is calling my name and reminding me I need a good night’s sleep before I can tackle tomorrow’s schedule.

Even with the hustle and bustle, I didn’t forget my number one priority. My habits are strong, and writing a little every day is my secret weapon. Yesterday I wrote 208 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday we welcomed the first day of Summer and celebrated Father’s Day. The year is spinning past in a flurry of activity. They delivered my new dining table and chairs yesterday, after failing to keep their promise of a Saturday arrival date. In starts and fits, maximizing pockets of time between other commitments, I assembled the table, and it looks fabulous in the new room. I’m confident I can put the ten matching chairs together before the end of the week. I have plenty of “spare” time. Not.

Work continues with setting up my new office. The two eight-foot bookcases stand dust-free, polished, and ready to be loaded with my extensive collection. I hauled the first two heavy book boxes from storage and began lining the shelves. Not all my books will remain in the office. I have plans for other bookcases in other rooms of the house. But until I place those units, my office is the primary staging and sorting area for every bound volume I discover as I unpack.

Even with the hustle and bustle, I didn’t forget my number one priority. My habits are strong, and writing a little every day is my secret weapon. Yesterday I wrote 149 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday was another busy day spent running errands, planning to build new shelves for the linen closet, weeding the garden, watering plants, and moving furniture into my new office. There are still an untold number of boxes to unpack and sort through. The box’s contents get sorted into three piles, find the item a new home in the remodeled house, throw it away, or donate it. There is one more option. Close the lid on the box and deal with the items in it some other day. It’s time to end the decision-making exercise when every box I open joins the Deal-With-It-Later group. Exhausted and running out of time, I know I have one more promise I must keep.

My secret weapon is writing a little each day. It is a habit I am ready to reinstall in my life. Yesterday I wrote 183 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

June evenings last forever. The sun doesn’t set until 8:30, it doesn’t get dark until after 9:00 pm, and the list of evening activities is endless. Everyone loves dinner cooked on the grill and eaten at the patio table. Making S’mores around the fire pit is a great way to slow down and have meaningful conversations with your nearest and dearest as you watch the sunset.

The newest addition to our backyard retreat is a Glow-in-the-Dark, Ring Toss Game. The tournament lasts until a swarm of blood-sucking mosquitos forces us to quit for the night. Friday night, movie night is no longer relegated to the oversized comfy couch as we opt for our local Drive-in venue. Even if the movie is dull, the countless stars in the sky offer their own stories. With all the late-night options, it’s easy to forget the more serious business of honoring our scheduled writing sessions.

The secret is remembering to write a little each day. And it is a habit I am ready to reinstall in my life. Yesterday I wrote 155 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

When I am sick, my single-minded focus is on feeling better. The worst part about feeling better is the returning nauseous feeling when I survey the mountain of dirty laundry. Who left the precarious tower of dishes in the sink? Why is the garbage bin overflowing? Did someone annoy my house goblin and make him ransack my tv room? My OCD, germ-a-phobic, neat-nick of an alter ego, is horrified. Digging out, scrubbing, sanitizing, and returning items to their assigned homes is exhausting. I need a nap but I have not finished yet. My writing goal beacons, and it has suffered the most from my inattention.

Never fear. All is not lost, and there are ways to move closer to reaching your writing goal. The secret is remembering to write a little each day. And it is a habit I am ready to reinstall in my life. Yesterday I wrote 228 words.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

I had a plan. It should have been so easy to reach my goal. I had everything laid out into tiny steps, one for each day. I was confident, eager to begin, and ready to get to work. That is when life hit me with a baseball bat right between the eyes. Days later, I woke. I never saw the freight train that clobbered me, but boy could I feel the pain. There is nothing like disappointment, self-recrimination, and the soul-sucking beating we administer to ourselves when we do something inhuman, like get sick.

I want to believe I am superhuman, but some days the best I can manage is to complete my mandatory 9 to 5 shift, cover the bare necessities, and crawl into bed. Extra-curricular projects, the late-night side hustle, and the sink full of dirty dishes must wait next to the growing pile of laundry. The truth is when you don’t feel well, none of it matters. The number one priority is following doctor’s orders, taking your medicine, and sleeping. Then one day, you begin to feel like yourself again.

Never fear. All is not lost, and there are ways to move closer to reaching your writing goal. The secret is remembering to write a little each day. And it is a habit I am ready to reinstall in my life.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Yesterday marked the halfway point of June, and on July 1, we will reach the last day of the first half of the year. How are you doing on your writing goals? Do you have fifty percent of your goals accomplished? Or, like me, are you discovering you have fallen a bit behind schedule? Life has a way of stepping in and misdirecting us. It is so easy to succumb to the seductive allure of the bright shiny object that leads us away from our intended mission.

Never fear. All is not lost, and there are ways to move you closer to reaching your writing goal. The secret is remembering to write a little each day. And it is a habit I need to reinstall in my life.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

June is off to a hot start. The weather gurus are forecasting near ninety-degree temperatures for the next ten days, and I am searching for activities that don’t make me sweat. The sun is shining, and my fingers ache to dance on the keyboard. I think I will let them loose and let them play, and maybe I will give them a challenge. So far this week, I have written just over 3,200 words. Not a bad total for the first five days, but I think we can do more.

For June, I am attempting to apply the demanding double-down trick on my standard word counts. Most months, I log around 12,000 words. This month I’m shooting for twice that amount or 24,000 words for the month for approximately 1,000 words per day. I do not know if I can accomplish this, but I’m game. Besides, they don’t call it a challenge without reason. Does anyone want to double-down with me? A little competition always makes things more exciting. On your mark. Get set. Go.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

June is off to a hot start. The weather gurus are forecasting near ninety-degree temperatures for the next ten days, and I am searching for activities that don’t make me sweat. The sun is shining, and my fingers ache to dance on the keyboard. I think I will let them loose and let them play, and maybe I will give them a challenge. So far this week, I have written just over 3,200 words. Not a bad total for the first five days, but I think we can do more.

For June, I am attempting to apply the demanding double-down trick on my standard word counts. Most months, I log around 12,000 words. This month I’m shooting for twice that amount or 24,000 words for the month for approximately 1,000 words per day. I do not know if I can accomplish this, but I’m game. Besides, they don’t call it a challenge without reason. Does anyone want to double-down with me? A little competition always makes things more exciting. On your mark. Get set. Go.

Did you write yesterday?

_________________________________________

Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer