Decluttering Begins Upstairs
In which I continue to extol the virtues of Daily Pages and declutter this newsletter by moving The Week Ahead to Live Write Now. Opt in or out of that section at your pleasure.
Declutter or unclutter? I can’t find a solid reason to use one instead of the other. Answers on the interwebs contradict each other. Which one do you use, and why?
Every single writer and creative I know walks around with an overwhelming amount of stuff cluttering their brainy space. It can be crazy making and panic triggering. It can also be numbing, because it can make you check out of life, ignore writing, and lose a few hours (or six) to that stupid game on your phone.
I think I know why. Well, one reason anyway.
The thoughts, feelings, and memories that we carry in our minds have no mass. They have no relative size, shape, or weight. They spin and bloom and fade and scream and whisper without a lot of sense. When we’re not thinking with intention, how we feel about any given thought is subject to what’s happening in the moment, what we just ate, the mood and the vibe of the environment, and how crunched we feel for space and time.
This is how doing the dishes can seem as compelling as meeting a deadline. How sweeping the front yard can feel as constructive as editing the last passage of a book. And how doing the laundry can have the same priority as designing a workshop that will earn enough to keep the lights on.
The urgent need to get the oil changed is not the same as the urgent need to file taxes, and neither is the same as the urgent need to sit with a dying friend. The need to change a light bulb in the office is different from the need to change a light bulb in the spare room closet.
The challenge is in being able to discern these differences so that we can build lives that function and that also give us space to write in the pleasure of flow.
I have a solution for you that has been tested on my clients, the writers in my writing community, my non-writer friends, and my non-writer family members. It is life-changing. And so damn obvious, you’re going to scream. Or at least groan.
But first!
Last week’s journaling prompts:
Next week’s journaling prompts are on the other side of the paywall with more about the incredibly powerful ways today’s writers used their Daily Pages.
#108 - Voice and Perceive
#109 - Content and Concept
#110 - After and Card
#111 - Proof and Trace
#112 - Squander and Melody
#113 - Anger and Tight
TODAY #114 - Emulate and Empty
The most interesting word-pairing for me this week speaks to my heart and why it’s so important for me to help people develop writing and communication skills: #108 - Voice and Perceive.
Today, you get to take a look at your voice and how much control you have over how other people perceive you.
Remember, voice is the first word, so that’s the word you focus on, and you focus on it in the context of second word, which is perceive.
I’d like you to look at, or think about, how the way you use your voice affects or controls how other people perceive you.
That can be a really important thing to be aware of, especially if you’re upset about something. The way you use your voice will affect whether people take you seriously or not.
That perception, based on your voice, is really important.
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