Observations

I’m declaring today a personal admin/reset day. This is a concept that I have been hearing about from a few different sources – first from Sarajane Case, who often captures her process on IG stories, and more recently and in more depth from Muchelle B, who has perfected her process.

The idea is that you intentionally take time to reset different areas of your life. Clean things up, tick off tasks, catch up on emails, deal with those papers, plan ahead. Reset. You start with a to-do list, stay focused, and try to get through as many of your items as you possibly can before quitting time.

So I’m going to try it! Normally I’m pretty sporadic with when I do chores and prep, but the idea of powering through a bunch of tasks that I’m not a huge fan of but that I know will make me feel good afterwards feels pretty motivating. I like the idea of getting to the end of the day and having a sparkling house, some food prepped for the next few days, appointments in my calendar and a clear plan for the week ahead.

I think in the future, I’d try to do this on Sundays (not Mondays!), but yesterday was busy with a bridal shower and so not an option. One thing that’s great about Monday though is that everything is open so I can call to make appointments and run any errands I need to!

Wish me luck! Do you ever do personal reset days? What do yours entail?

I’ve been sitting in this chair for ten minutes, trying to think of what to write about. I’m breaking my own output before input rule and have already been on Instagram (on my computer), looked at my tasks of the day, and mindlessly explored the website for the upcoming launch I’m a part of. My excuse is that “I just don’t know what to write about! I’m not inspired!”

Lucky for me though, as soon as I thought those words, I had my own number. I couldn’t hide from the facts anymore. Because the truth is that I, and so many other writers, don’t really believe in inspiration. Or rather, they do, but they don’t believe that being inspired is a prerequisite for doing your work. If inspiration shows up somewhere along the way, great! It is very welcome here. But if not? Your butt is in the seat anyways. Your fingers are typing anyways. You’re practicing anyways.

Because that’s the whole point of a writing practice: I am meant to practice writing. The practice of writing requires that I show up, sit down, and start typing. The practice of writing means battling resistance in all its forms, every single day: whether that be in the form of procrastination, feeling “too busy”, or “not being inspired”. The practice of writing means calling bullshit on our excuses and DOING IT ANYWAYS. That’s how we improve, and probably the only way we improve. Writers write.

So I am calling my own bluff this morning: the truth is that I am inspired. Today, I just so happen to be inspired by my lack of inspiration. Tomorrow, who knows? But I do know I’ll be sitting in the same place, typing out some words, whether or not I feel “inspired”.

Or, to make a longer blog post shorter, this quote has always stuck with me:

“I only write when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes at nine every morning.”

–William Faulkner

See you tomorrow!

Last night, I had what my friends and I call a “mevening”. This is sort of what it sounds like: an evening you spend alone, at home, with yourself. I usually spend mine puttering around, doing this and that. A few chores, a bit of reading, a healthy dose of self-care.

Lately, though, I’ve felt like my mevenings haven’t been very intentional. I’ve spent them wasting time on my phone, getting sucked down YouTube rabbit holes and watching mindless TV. Those things are okay sometimes, but I don’t like the feeling that before I know it, it’s time for bed. I hate feeling like I didn’t get to any of the activities that would have made me feel really good, like taking a bath or going for a walk or starting a new book. 

I’ve been watching a lot of MuchelleB’s channel over the past few days, and have felt inspired by the way she organizes her life and uses lists to help her stay on top of things in her personal life as well as her business. I particularly like her idea of a “life admin day”, to take care of all the nagging tasks and feel a sense of calm and clarity going into the week. In short: she uses lists unapologetically, even for tiny things, even in her personal life.

I, on the other hand, have always felt weird about the fact that I wanted or needed a “to-do list” for my downtime. It made me feel like I was “doing self-care wrong” by bringing a productivity approach into my off-hours. On the other hand, I felt awful when I let the time get away from me and succumbed to my laziest tendencies – not because it’s bad to be lazy sometimes, but because the things I do when I’m being lazy are not replenishing. They leave me feeling worse, not better.

So this time I decided to make a to-do list for my mevening. It was short & sweet and very simple: make dinner, have a little spa moment for my tired summer feet, and take notes while I read my book. Nothing fancy, and yes, maybe I’d have gotten to these things anyways. But taking a minute to sit down and set some intentions for my evening made a huge difference. Rather than just reacting to my phone or wandering aimlessly through my night, I could approach the time with more mindfulness. By bedtime, I felt rested, not drained.

The moral of the story is: if it works for you, it works for you. I wasted a lot of time feeling like “I shouldn’t need that”, rather than just giving myself what would make me feel better. This phrase also came up in a client session yesterday, so I know I’m not the only one who struggles with giving themselves what they need, without shame or judgment. Do you?

It’s been a strange summer this year. First, we had chilly weather through June and even on a couple of days in July, which definitely put a damper on the mood of carefree summer beach days. It was also humid as HECK for most of July which made it hard to move/live/breathe. It’s only in August that we’ve had some of those breezy, perfect summer days that felt fresh and pleasant.

Apart from the weather, it’s been strange for me personally for other reasons. I had some whirlwind projects at work that took up a lot of my time, lots of intake calls and meetings, and was managing my ongoing client responsibilities. Then on top of that, we had some bad news in my family, which really turned things upside down and was very stressful for a couple of weeks. Mostly, it was just busy: I had a lot going on at the same time in every area of my life.

Please know that I’m not complaining, I’m just taking inventory of why I’ve felt less engaged with this summer than in years past. Then again, it’s quite possible that I’m looking back on those summers with rose-coloured glasses, that they feel more full and rich in retrospect. Maybe this is how it always is.

For now, though, I’m realizing that I still have time to relish in my summer, my favourite time of year. There are things I can do to soak up the sunshine, put myself in the way of beauty, and spend more time outside. I can have more Ice Cream Socials™ with my friends, and go to Shakespeare in the Park, and maybe even go out on a Pirate Ship before the summer is over.

What’s still on your Summer Bucket List? What could you go slot into your calendar for these last couple weeks? Who can you text to make plans? What do you want to organize? 

Summer’s not over y’all! There’s still time to make some memories. This is as much a note to self as it is an invitation to you.