Hi friends,
I am writing you—exhausted—on the final day of #1000wordsofsummer. If you’ve been following my progress on Twitter, you’ll know it was a pretty productive time. I managed to hit my word count goal pretty early each day since I prioritized writing before my workday began. If you’ve been writing along with me, then congratulations, you also made it to the last day! It was a wild ride, but we did it.
It was impeccable timing, actually, because just as this writing challenge began, I returned to work at my NYC office for the first time since March 2020. Commuting again and being “back in society” added an extra layer of difficulty to this challenge. While juggling the mental shift of having to deal with everyday people again—and not being able to just, I don’t know, take a random nap in the middle of the day—I was also trying to find time to stay motivated enough to write. It was tricky to balance the two, but it was a valuable experience. It also helped that I only had to be in the office twice a week instead of all five days.
While sharing my progress on social media, I had many friends send me encouraging messages and ask lots of questions. Mostly, everyone wanted to know what exactly I was writing about (many things!), or the big one: how I could write so much “for fun” when it’s already my job to write full-time.
For those of you who don’t know, I’m a Brand Copywriter at an apparel company, so I already do a significant amount of writing, thinking, and brainstorming daily. While I didn’t count any of my copywriting work towards my personal word count (if I did, it would be well over 2,000, easily), I realized that having a writing habit already made this year’s challenge easier to handle.
Now that the challenge is over, will I go back to writing 1,000 words a day? Probably not. I do, however, try to write daily in some capacity outside of my day job—I just don't track the numbers. Whether it’s a journal entry or a blog post, I try to write creatively as much as my brain and heart allow. Sometimes it’s necessary work, and other times it’s painful work. But as a writer, there is no other way.
What kinds of habits are you working towards today?
Megan
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this week I loved...
1. The season finale of Younger. Even though I wasn't that happy with this season as a whole, I LOVED the series over the years and will miss seeing new episodes.
2. The music video for Coldplay’s new song “Higher Power.” If Chris Martin wants to create an alien world and language for his next album, let him.
3. This week's advice column by Heather Havrilesky called ‘These Dating Apps Are Crushing Me!” Because same.
4. Having dinner and catching up with a couple of friends for the first time in many, many months. It was much needed. |
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How I Deal With Wanting to Do Too Much
I never realized I was stretching myself thin until none of my projects brought me satisfaction anymore. Continue reading →
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Why I’m Moving Everything to Notion
As an effort to condense my massive App Library and streamline my Master Task List, I recently decided to move to Notion. Continue reading →
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sweet deals just for you
NOTE: this section contains referral links.*
1. This summer, treat yourself to effortless makeup and skincare from Glossier. Enjoy 10% off your first order when you shop through my referral link.
2. Fellow astrology enthusiasts, this one’s for you: take $10 off your first order of $75 or more at Birthdate Co. with my referral link.
*If you make a purchase via my links, I may receive a small commission.
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