Creating ease around writing
I'm sharing a three-part series on the biggest things I think you can get from intentional writing: space, ease, and wisdom.
We talked about space last time, so now let's talk about ease!
Let’s go back to the attic example from last week.
When you start doing a project like cleaning out an overstuffed attic, it can feel a little cumbersome. You probably face some resistance and overwhelm.
But you start anyway—because you have to. You don’t have a choice. You can’t put much more in that attic and still be able to close the door!
And as you keep working, you find that it doesn’t feel all that bad. You begin to find a rhythm. Instead of freezing when you walk in the door, you get started—and while it might take a couple of minutes, soon you are back in the groove.
I think the same is true with intentional writing.
You probably feel some resistance and overwhelm at first—where to start? How to do it? It this even worth it?—but if you just dive right in, you’ll find it begins to feel…well, not so bad.
And over time, you begin to find a rhythm. You don’t sit down and freeze; instead, you get started. And while it might take a minute or two to really get warmed up, once you get going, you’ll be totally back in the groove.
In both cases, this is because you’re pushing through resistance. And as you make progress, the sense of overwhelm decreases.
You become more familiar with the process. You have specific cues—for the attic, maybe it’s climbing the stairs, turning on the light, and starting a playlist designed to keep you moving. For writing, maybe it’s sitting in the same chair, lighting a candle you only use during this time, and turning on classical music.
When you do something like this over and over, and when you follow a similar process each time, you create ease around the entire thing.
Instead of building it up as this huge thing in your mind (oh my gosh, I have to clean out this entire attic or oh my gosh, I have to sit down and write something) you see it for what it is—a part of a greater whole.
This feeling of greater ease helps you keep going.
And when you commit to intentional writing, when you decide to push through the resistance and overwhelm, that feeling of ease can spill into other types of writing as well.
We all write a ton these days, and a lot of it requires that we sit down to a blank page with only our ideas (if even that) to begin with. Many of us feel—you guessed it—resistance and overwhelm.
If ease around the process of simply getting started is already there, think what you could do with your writing!
Removing resistance and overwhelm is a bit of an abstract concept—really, all the things I think you can most get out of intentional writing (space, ease, and wisdom) are pretty abstract—so try this.
Imagine yourself three months from now. You have something to write, something big, something that feels really important. How will you tackle it? From a place of resistance and overwhelm (taking a long time to get started, feeling frustrated with yourself for not moving forward) or with the sense that all you have to do is follow these ingrained clues? I know which one I’d prefer, and I know that we’ll both be much more likely to achieve that if we start creating our patterns now.
Explore can help you develop a sense of ease around writing.
Yes, you could absolutely just tell yourself you’ll sit down and write for 10 minutes a day for 31 days to get into the habit.
But…will you do it?
I know that some members of the original Explore crew struggled here and there—and they were getting daily reminders to do the work. They were getting ready-made topics to write about. They were getting weekly encouragement and gentle guidance around checking in with the powerful intention they had already set.
We all have a lot going on these days, and despite our best-laid plans, things like committing to intentional writing are often the first to go out the window when things get busy or you just don’t feel like it.
If you want this extra nudge—the daily reminder, the prompts, the encouragement, the intention—I invite you to join Explore!
And if you’d like to see what some past Explorers (who are planning to do Explore again on March 1) got out of their experience, check out #exploreintentionalwriting.
I’d love to see you inside!
So we're on the same page, here's what you'll get out of Explore:
A welcome guide that will help you set an intention for the experience
A short email every day for 31 days (the first prompt email will arrive March 1, 2017) containing an open-ended prompt designed to help you explore the power of writing
A weekly reminder (in your daily prompt email) to check in on your intention, notice your progress, and make any adjustments needed
Weekly encouragement (in your daily prompt email)...because getting stuck or off track is inevitable, but you don’t have to stay stuck!
A wrap-up guide that will help you reflect and move forward after Explore ends
The chance to create greater space (in your mind and in your day), ease
(around writing and around pausing for reflection), and wisdom (access to your own inner wisdom, that is) in your life and business!
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