Turns out that I’ve everything I’ve ever read about creating new routines or breaking a habit is true. You have to do it everyday. You have to set time aside for it. You have to do it even if you don’t love it or feel like it a given day.
For four-plus years I’ve blogged almost everyday.
Then in December I broke my hand and got a crazy cast. (I know, I know, enough already about the damn cast but I just can’t stop writing about it. Sorry.) All of a sudden my regular routine went out the window. Nothing was regular or normal anymore. I couldn’t depend on sitting down and turning out a 500 word post in 20 minutes. Typing one handed really slowed things down so I typed up some posts on my smartphone which was only slightly faster and I got frustrated.
Having a blog isn’t supposed to take this much time and it’s supposed to be fun.
And that’s how it happens.
The slow and steady decline.
So I didn’t write for a few mornings and that turned into a week. Then a week turned into 10 days and so on. After about 10 days I stopped feeling guilty about not writing and just started reading my kindle when I normally would have been writing on my blog.
Truth be told I think about blog posts when I walk to work in the mornings but at 7am in January Sofia is cold and dark. It’s also been snowy and icy–surprise, surprise. That’s Sofia in winter. As such, I spent many of my walks to school repeating this mantra: go slow, be careful, you can’t fall again, you can’t break another bone.
This, of course, is less than interesting but it’s just to say, I am a creature of habit.
I need routines. This blog needs them too.
So I here I am. Drinking coffee, writing a blog post and hurrying to get ready for my day. The typing is nearly back up to full speed after some serious physical therapy. The coffee is great and nestled under it is some planning for a three week trip through the Baltics. My day is off to a pretty cloudy grey start and will be chocked full of grading but I am going to do it with a smile on my face. The end is within sight.
I’m re-establishing a routine. I am here writing this and you are there (wherever that is) reading this. That’s that. I’m happy and I hope you are too.
Hey there! I’m a current fulbrighter in Sliven. I was looking for a way to contact you via email because I was offered a position at ACS for next year and wanted to talk to you about your experiences! please email me back, and hopefully we can get in touch! I love the blog too!!
Ураааааа! Ти се завърна!
In agreement with Elena (I think), even though Bulgarian is so much Greek to me.
I’ve had a visitor these past three weeks in Bulgaria, just as I was intending to get back into writing after being relatively unplugged throughout winter break. Working writing into my routine again has proven a difficult thing, even though I know that having a routine (and having writing be a part of it) will help lift my mood and make me feel settled.
@Ariel It’s really amazing how important routines are for making you feel settled and whole. I should probably start practicing yoga more regularly for the same reason!!