This entire week I was in Vacation Mode and I didn’t write a single post or short story. Neither did I work on my current book. Rather I was travelling for four days and then the remaining days I was still enjoying my days. It felt really freeing.
Travelling means bringing out our inner foodies for both me and my husband. Together we explored many new places to eat. Tried many new dishes. Just absorbing new experiences. It was pretty awesome.
We took this vacation to celebrate our first marriage anniversary. Exploring the city and tasting new food was an experience in itself. But I wanted to make this day even more memorable. On a whim, I decided to get a tattoo with both our names on my arm. I must confess that I already have a small tattoo in the inside of my wrist and I have been thinking about adding another tattoo for a while now. But on the day of my anniversary, I just thought out loud that I want to get both our names together permanently. My husband, being the world’s most supportive husband helped me look out for tattoo places in the new city and then took me there and even helped me select the font and finalize the design.
He is adorable. He has way too much patience with me and with my eccentric mind.
A few years back I wrote a list of 100 things to do before I die. Now the list has things I can finish in the next few months if I am persistent. But then there are things which will take a while (like celebrating my 80th birthday since I am just in my 30s right now).
Getting another tattoo was on the list and I was able to tick it off. It is very satisfying to strike off things in any list. Considering this is kind of my bucket list, the feeling was that much sweeter. I am hoping to strike off more items before this year ends.
Last year I uploaded two of my short stories on Amazon KDP and I have received two small payments for them. The amount is very small but they are still significant. They are motivating me to work on my next book and post it on Amazon KDP soon. It’s a push I really need and love at the moment. I have a long list of book/story ideas and currently, my writing is not up to speed.
I learnt something new about myself. Well, it’s not exactly a new thing but I am surprised that I hadn’t made the connection sooner. I am more productive with my headphones on than without. I have been using music as a way to focus since my school days. Even in college, I relied on music to help me focus on my studies. In the office, this habit got more pronounced. I would reach office, open my laptop, put on my headphones and then get in the groove. On the other hand, I get really off track by constant interruptions and it takes me a lot of time to get back to my work.
Same is the case with my writing. I have been working on my own thing for a while now and I have been struggling to be as productive as I wanted to be. Then I realised that its the constant interruptions that are taking away my time. Headphones to the rescue again.
Putting on my headphones and playing some music is a ritual that puts me in work mode. My thoughts stay focused on the task at hand. I am tuning out the distractions. I still take breaks but now they are on my terms and I control them instead of the other way around.
I have a good feeling about this ritual and I have Masterclass by Shonda Rimes to thank for this tip. She explained the importance of a ritual whatever it maybe. Until then I didn’t realise that I already had a ritual in place. I just needed to use it more.
Overall, this was a great week. I seriously hope the momentum continues both w.r.t my productivity and my mental health.