Journal On Purpose to Create Structure Around Ritual

Use your practice

Embrace the benefits and build on your routine

Maybe you write in the morning, sweeping vigorously at the sleepy dust of your mind until your brain cobblestones are as shiny as a cartoon Disney village. Maybe you write at night, pouring the knots of the day into an automatic bank that sorts loose change into individual plastic tubes so you sleep unfettered by ruminating thoughts or worry. Maybe you write at lunchtime, a break sandwiched between sandwiches to give a reprieve to your tired work brain, a boost to your energy, and a tweak to your focus.  

Get clear about the benefits you get from writing in your particular way at your particular time so you look forward to it. Reflect consciously about the rush of readiness after you finish writing in the morning, the wave of relaxation at night. The ritual of writing every day is calming by its very consistency, and structure falls around it. If your morning writing leaves you feeling motivated take action immediately afterward. That exercise routine or pile of paperwork you’ve been neglecting will be easier to tackle while your mind is humming and scanning the room for a project. Pace your workday energetically. As you write, know you are at the halfway point to a finite part of your day, which will give you a boost for the other part, the real-life part. 

Use writing as a reward for the weary mind that wants nothing more than to lay down its burden to sleep, use it to revel in how creatively fluid or intellectually sharp you feel as you write before an interview or meeting. Use your writing practice to ground yourself in the certainty of ritual, and go up and awesome from there.