an unexpected day off
writing tips for the neurodivergent and everyone else
And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.
—John Steinbeck—
The other day, I had a meeting that cancelled before I left my apartment. That meant time off. I had hours to do whatever I wanted. And I was dressed. And medicated.
And usually that would lead to a most impressive scrolling adventure.
I’d like to tell you that postgrad life has changed me into a person who is productive all the time. But no.
No. No.
However, I wanted to get some things done so I could crash early after a rough night of insomnia.
So I thought I’d share how I SUCCESSFULLY got things done. Including this post.
Welcome to Writer Tips, a semi-regular series, and inspired by a social media post I made to keep myself accountable.
Here’s what I do:
1. Make a To Do list (if I don’t already have one). I use a small paper notepad so I can’t put too many things down.
2. Get my things organized, e.g., clear my desk, get a drink (okay, more than one — water, caffeine), eat a small snack (check the crumb on my lip), and get my supplies (glasses, pen, laptop, noise-canceling headphones).
3. Turn on music that’s not going to distract me. Today, it’s Noah Kahan because it lines up with the mood I want to be in for a particular piece that’s due tomorrow. 😊
4. Start on the ‘easiest’ or most fun project. It makes me feel successful and energized. Thankfully the piece I want/need to write is the fun one.
5. Start.
Bonus tip: When I don’t wanna, I give myself a time container and promise to stop if things aren’t flowing by the end. They usually are.
TL;DR — Unexpected free time often becomes doom scrolling if I don’t follow steps I know work for me.
And yeah, sometimes free time stays free time. And that’s good too.
(For you folks who already saw this on social media, thanks for the follow.)
If you’ve arrived here, was this helpful?
Do you want to see more writing stuff?
I’ll still do my personal essays and witchy stuff, but if you want more insight into my writing process, I’d love to share that too.
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