Wednesday, February 23, 2011
A new day. A new enterprise.
My dear writer friend, Sarah Anderson, has invited me to contribute regularly to her blog, Authorial Moms. Come check it out as I introduce myself.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Habits
Habit formation is the process by which a behavior becomes habitual. (from Wikipedia)
So how long does it take to form a habit?
The number I'd always heard was 30 days. But this interesting article cites a study that it takes closer to 66 days to develop a habit. That's an average. Depending on what you are trying to change in your behavior, establishing a new habit took some participants up to 254 days. Drinking a daily glass of water was much easier to establish as a habit than doing 50 sit-ups before breakfast. I totally agree with that last statement. I've only done my crunches once in the past two weeks. Not much of a habit formed yet. But I've definitely got in the habit of getting on the stationary bike five days a week for an hour.
The new habit that I am working on forming is writing every day. That's every day, even if it's only 100 words. This past fall I got out of the habit of consistently writing and it's been an uphill battle to get back to it. I have a great external motivation this month to help me reestablish my daily writing habit. Grand Rapids Region Writers Group is holding their annual winter writing challenge this month. From February 12 to March 12, I will write 32K words. That's 8K a week for 4 weeks. If that doesn't get me back in the habit of daily writing, then nothing will.
At the end of the day yesterday, I had 2250. Not nearly close enough to the 8K that I need by Saturday to stay on track this week, but the good news is that I've been writing every day.
Stay tuned for updates on my progress.
So how long does it take to form a habit?
The number I'd always heard was 30 days. But this interesting article cites a study that it takes closer to 66 days to develop a habit. That's an average. Depending on what you are trying to change in your behavior, establishing a new habit took some participants up to 254 days. Drinking a daily glass of water was much easier to establish as a habit than doing 50 sit-ups before breakfast. I totally agree with that last statement. I've only done my crunches once in the past two weeks. Not much of a habit formed yet. But I've definitely got in the habit of getting on the stationary bike five days a week for an hour.
The new habit that I am working on forming is writing every day. That's every day, even if it's only 100 words. This past fall I got out of the habit of consistently writing and it's been an uphill battle to get back to it. I have a great external motivation this month to help me reestablish my daily writing habit. Grand Rapids Region Writers Group is holding their annual winter writing challenge this month. From February 12 to March 12, I will write 32K words. That's 8K a week for 4 weeks. If that doesn't get me back in the habit of daily writing, then nothing will.
At the end of the day yesterday, I had 2250. Not nearly close enough to the 8K that I need by Saturday to stay on track this week, but the good news is that I've been writing every day.
Stay tuned for updates on my progress.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Came and Went
Okay, the blizzard is old news now. It came, it conquered, and it went. Then the frigid temperatures set in. Last week was painfully in the single digits. Can you say cracked skin? Not a trace of humidity in the air.
And today? Today, we are looking at the Great Melting. Temps in the forties and my drainpipes are gurgling with streams of water. I guess we should prepare for the flood next.So what does this have to do with my path to publication? Let's just say I'd rather be writing in Florida.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The Blizzard is Coming! The Blizzard is Coming!
Nothing like a good winter storm to shake up the doldrums of January and February. I hope the groundhog doesn't get lost in the blinding snow tomorrow.
Human behavior is such fun to observe prior to a storm. Crowds descend on grocery stores like locusts to stock up on milk, bread and soup. C'mon people the event is only going to last a day or two at the most. Why have you all decided to grocery shop on the same day this week? Do you really not have enough milk to last 48 hours in your home? What are you going to do with all that extra milk when you lose electrical power? I suppose in a winter storm, you can just stick the gallon of milk outside the door to keep it cold.
I like snow days because they force us to break our schedules. They make us slow down for a moment and look at our lives and the busyness we aspire to. They give us the opportunity to take a deep breath and relax.
So, I hope those of you with a snow day tomorrow get to sleep late, breathe deeply and play a game of Scrabble with a loved one.
Human behavior is such fun to observe prior to a storm. Crowds descend on grocery stores like locusts to stock up on milk, bread and soup. C'mon people the event is only going to last a day or two at the most. Why have you all decided to grocery shop on the same day this week? Do you really not have enough milk to last 48 hours in your home? What are you going to do with all that extra milk when you lose electrical power? I suppose in a winter storm, you can just stick the gallon of milk outside the door to keep it cold.
I like snow days because they force us to break our schedules. They make us slow down for a moment and look at our lives and the busyness we aspire to. They give us the opportunity to take a deep breath and relax.
So, I hope those of you with a snow day tomorrow get to sleep late, breathe deeply and play a game of Scrabble with a loved one.
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