Week Links: 26 Sep 2020

Stephen Hebert -

A Super Simple Habit That Helps

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my recent bout with Resistance. I even included a cute little picture of Resistance, that evil character who tries to steal from me the progress I’m making. Lest we continue using a name without a face, here it is:

This week, I began to develop a new habit that I think will help. It comes from the baby steps or Atomic Habits school of thought. Come to think of it, this may also fit into Kendra Adichie’s Lazy Genius framework. (Kendra has become my wife’s friend and personal growth guru, so I’ll have to ask her.)

On my to-do’s every morning, I have a recurring item that says simply this:

Put an idea into Ulysses.

If you’re a regular reader of sbhebert.com, then you’ll be familiar with Ulysses. If not, then you can read my article about how I use my favorite writing app:

My Writing Process
Every writer has his/her own process. Therefore, I thought it might be helpful to write about the only writing process that I really know: mine.
Stephen B. HebertStephen Hebert

The habit, though, is dead simple. In order to get the nice little endorphin rush of checking off a to-do, all I have to do is put some idea into Ulysses. That’s it!

But what happens from there is amazing. Sometimes, yes, I just put that little idea in there, and that’s it. Most of the time, however, I end up spending more time in Ulysses. I put the idea for a scene into a new sheet. But then I notice other sheets around it and I spend some time developing those. I put an idea for a post for the unruly buddha into my “Ideas” group for that blog, but then I end up fleshing out another idea or writing an other post or developing that post.

The habit works because it’s easy. It also works because it gets me where I need to be: my writing environment. Once I’m in my writing environment, Resistance rarely rears his ugly little head. I’ve already won the battle.

If you’re finding it difficult to make progress with your writing goals, I’m guessing you’re also finding it difficult just to find/make the time to write. Put one idea into your notebook, word processor, or writing app.

See what happens…

Still a big fan of Ulysses.

I wrote these…

Self-Compassion, Whiteness, and Working Towards Equity and Justice
If we’re going to listen to the stories of others, giving them room to be heard, we’ll need ears to hear their stories. But we’ll also need ears to hear our own.
ROOTEDStephen Hebert
The Unruly Buddha Sits in Class
It was the oddest thing, for the teacher’s mouth was moving and sound was coming out, but the sound was just the kkkkkksssssshhhhh of tires on a road. Road noise.
the unruly buddhathe unruly buddha
ROOTED Weekly: 26 September 2020
45, 1619, 1776. Thoughts on self-compassion, whiteness, equity, and justice. Plus, a whole mess of links to enjoy! Happy reading!
ROOTEDStephen Hebert
I don't normally include my weekly newsletter posts here. But I felt like this one with its talk of the 1619 Project and the 1776 Commission might be of interest to some.

RequiredReading

I’m keeping a #RequiredReading Collection on Twitter. Added this week:



Thanks so much for reading! I hope you have an amazing weekend!