Just 21 Minutes {SOL 3.3.21}

Like many others, my to-do list these days is a mile long.

Just this morning, I was writing today's list of things I needed to get done in my journal and I ran out of lines. (It's going to be a really busy day apparently!)

But as I looked down my list, everything I had written there had something to do with work:

• New course
• Send chat to Tim
• Logo design in Canva
• Start new website
• Research Medium
• Write 300 words on the book

And while these things are certainly important, I wondered where the 'me' time was.

The other day, I read somewhere about taking time to read for pleasure for 21 minutes every day in 2021. Just 21 minutes. I could certainly squeeze that in!

I started yesterday and read 21 minutes of a novel that I have been wanting to read for a while, but always pushed it to the side to read some book that will help me with my business. 

These 21 minutes felt like a total indulgence...and I loved it!

The funny thing is that after my 21 minutes were up, I went back to work with a different attitude. I tackled more of those things on my to-do list with a little more energy. I didn't feel so drained. 

It's funny how just 21 minutes can do that.

I am a former 4th-grade teacher and the founder of Teach Write LLC. I believe that teachers who write make the best teachers of writers.   

Waking Up to Write {SOL 3.2.21}

 My alarm went off at 4:45 am, but I was already awake.

I had first opened my eyes at 3:12 am. 

Squinting at the clock across the room, I was sure that I had missed it. I gave a sigh of relief that I had not, and then also silently swore because I had awoken so early.

My alarm was set for 4:45 am because I needed to get up to start the Zoom for my Wake Up & Write group. For the month of March, many of my Time to Write writers are coming together first thing in the morning to silently write together.  Just us, our writing, and our coffee. 

From 5:00 until 6:00 AM Central time, my writing friends popped in and out of our Zoom. Some spent the entire hour. Others just a few minutes. 

They came from far and wide -- places like Ghana, Cambodia, and Canada -- where it wasn't quite as early as it was for me. (Thank goodness that I'm naturally an early riser.)

Today was just our first day, but I think I'm going to like this Wake-Up & Write time. There's just something about starting my day with quiet writing time alongside my friends, knowing that I've begun the day with a win.

At 6:00 am CT, my alarm sounded again. It was time to stop.

"Good morning, writers," I gently announced to bring our time together to a close.

We all smiled at each other, took a few seconds to say hello, logged off, and began the business of the day.