Happy ADHD Awareness Month and Happy Birthday to ME!

I turned 42 this week, and in honor of my birthday I restarted my Low Stakes Daily Writing Practice.

For years I thought there was no way I had a daily writing practice in me. Then some dissertation deadlines in 2014 showed me that with the right incentive I did have it in me to write every single day. 

Now writing to deadlines is one thing. 

For starters my ADHD brain responds exceptionally well to the rush of adrenaline that a quickly approaching deadline produces. I've found few things work as well to snap me into hyperfocus-fueled productivity.

Writing creatively calls for a different approach -- at least for me.

I realized that if I wanted to continue writing regularly after my dissertation was done, I needed new systems and "Low Stakes Daily Writing" was born. I went on to write almost every single day of 2015. 

Then my life changed again (hello babies) and a daily practice -- no matter how manageable -- didn't quite fit my life, so I dropped it. No guilt. No regrets. 

Now I'm once again yearning for that daily routine again, so I'm bringing it back. Each night before bed, I pull out my low stakes writing journal, and I write. That's it. Easy peasy.

Below I've outlined for you the five easy steps to starting your own low stakes daily writing practice. For a detailed explanation of each step check out my Guest Blog Post: The Art of Low Stakes Daily Writing And How it Can Transform Your Year.

I hope this inspires you to start your own low stakes daily writing practice soon (if it fits your life). I find birthdays and new years are great times to start.

And as always, I have some good reads to share with you over on my Bookshop. 

In honor of ADHD Awareness month, check out the book recommendations list: Organizing My ADHD Life.

Plus with Halloween, Dia de Los Muertos, Election Day, and all the Winter Holidays quickly upon us, it's a great time to find the perfect picture book to celebrate each occasion. 

P.S. Head over to my Bookshop which is highlighting AHDH Awareness Month & Upcoming Holiday Picture Books including: Halloween, Día de los Muertos, Election Day, and all the holidays from Thanksgiving through Tres Reyes. 

P.P.S. I'm loving the new job! (ICYMI: I mentioned in last month's newsletter that I'm the Long Beach Public Library Foundation's newest Development Database and Executive Assistant).

1. Find a Fun Low Stakes Daily Writing Notebook
   1. This step isn’t mandatory, but it supports the idea of a daily practice that is joyful or fun.
      
2. Write at Least Once A Day
   1. Simple: Write. Something. Anything. Every. Single. Day.
      
3. No Guilt Allowed
   1. Miss a day? Write twice the next day.
      
4. No Notebook? No Problem.
   1. My iPhone notepad is full of Low Stakes Daily Writing.
      
5. Low Stakes Daily Writing: One Piece of a Larger Writing Life
   1. My Low Stakes Daily Writing was not the only writing I did on most days, but it was the only writing I had to do every day.
      

Read more about each step at my guest blog post: 

"The Art of Low Stakes Daily Writing and How it Can Transform Your Year."

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