Welcome To My Unofficial Wlogmas?
Modelled after Youtube’s Vlogmas trend
Near and around the holidays, many Youtubers opt to do a Vlogmas challenge. The best way to describe the Vlogmas challenge is that it’s like an advent calendar, where instead of one piece of chocolate per day until Christmas day, it’s one new vlog per day.
Without ever intending to, I’m realizing that with more piling up on my to-do list and Christmas / holidays drawing near, I’m also doing far more writing that I used to, especially in the morning.
My morning pages: I feel like I’m using up all 25 minutes of writing these pages, whereas in previous months I might speed at my 120wpm for the first 5–10 minutes and slow down. There’s a LOT of thoughts in that brain noodle, and perhaps related, a lot of really weird dreams.
Ps, for those who have suggestions on a solid digital journaling app that includes photos, please do share!
For me, I didn’t even plan to start this. In fact, pre-emptive to the whole “what are your New Year’s resolutions” phase of the new year, I’ve spontaneously started a bunch of new, restful habits.
New Habit: Quote of the Day
I’ve been beginning each day with a cool “Quote Of The Day” series, posted directly on my profile and not in any publication. It’s been helpful because it feels like a commitment that I’m making towards each day.
- Two days ago, I stopped to honour my strength, sometimes I fail to do when I feel like I’m on this eternal hamster wheel of doing more.
- One day ago, I posted another quote, which was one away from enough to make this whole quote project a habit. I shared about how I don’t need to start on January 1st. I don’t need to start at the beginning of the month, week, or even day. I can just start now. And that freedom, I like it for some reason. I need that chaos of abandoning structure sometimes too.
- Today, I’m embarking on a long, arduous work day, and gave myself a little morning pep talk. I think in absence of a little pep talk, I often find myself losing steam by lunch and the afternoon becomes a dread. I’m hoping that re-committing to the whole reason behind I’m doing this job helps me tide over the harder, tougher bits.
New Habit: Daily “Eggsisting” Freewrite
Did you know some of my best articles are unplanned?
Part of me wonders what this says about my planning abilities if the structure takes away from it. Yet other parts of me realizes that in not planning my pieces, it’s easier for me to brain dump the true and raw bits that people are coming to read.
Importantly, articles that aren’t preplanned doesn’t mean I don’t back and re-organize paragraphs. That’s key.
In a day where I spend to much time planning to the minute and feeling like I need to impose structure in order to be productive and get things done and stay on task, letting this brain roam free without guidelines is so empowering.
So, welcome to my unofficial …wlogmas? (Writing log mas? Blogmas? Is this a blog???)
I may continue with the Quote of the Day series and the daily free-write series, I may not. I think that’s behind the success of developing own habits — not putting pressure on my commitment. It seems counterintuitive, right?
In a world filled with imperative call-to-actions that scream and yell and order me around, what I actually needed in order to pull through with a habit was to chill.
So I am doing that.
I am at times, walking out into this -12C weather in order to chill, metaphorically, emotionally and physically. TIPP skills and nostrilcicles, here I come!
Hi I’m Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她) and I am softly inviting you if it so tickles your fancy to join me for WLOGMAS, but no pressure. Because if I’ve learned anything from writing today, it’s that we’re often too bombarded with call to actions and what we need is a soft welcome that’s easy enough to decline.
Most days, you can find me 🐤 tweeting lots of photos of eggs , or humming IU songs while I work on 📚 promoting my first ever poetry book,🎤recording poetry podcast episodes, or✍ making hella cute poetry-themed journals. What’s next? Hop down this reading rabbit hole or support this piece by KSHernandez! ♥
