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Writing consistently helped me discover what I am even writing for.
My morning writing routine is back. Here I sit on day 7 of writing before doing just about anything else (okay, I brushed my teeth and am drinking a glass of water, but before email!). I feel a lot better already. I feel more aligned with one of the identities I hold — writer — and it has also allowed me to connect differently with one of my other identities — soil scientist.
For context, I used to write consistently every morning while working on my dissertation. It was an incredibly empowering time in my life and I wrote more words, pages, papers, posts than I have since. I look back on those times fondly, yet in the last few years, my life has been clouded by transitions and change. It was a lot harder for me to find a routine in those moments. Perhaps I also didn’t have the mental energy, even though looking back now I realize that writing can help give me energy, not drain it.
All that is to say, I have been here before and I know it “works”. Works for my mental health, my job satisfaction, and my productivity. It’s only been 7 days and I can already tell that my old routine is back.
How can I be so sure I’ll be able to stick with it? Now, before I go to bed, I think about what I’m going to write in the morning. I’m thinking about writing all the time. What I’m going to…
