29Jul
Journal3 min read
Opening the window while the tea brews
A small change, but standing by an open window for the two minutes the kettle takes starts the day differently. Birds arguing on the roofline, a delivery van door somewhere down the road, cooler air on my hands. It costs nothing and it works every morning, which is more than most of my better ideas manage.
Read the entry →
27Jul
Things I learned4 min read
Splitting a task in two makes it easier to start
When something has been sitting on the list for a week, I've stopped promising myself the whole thing. I promise the first ten minutes instead, and most of the time the rest follows on its own momentum. I tried it on three jobs today — the tax folder, the balcony, a long overdue reply — and all three got past the hardest part, which was the beginning.
Read the entry →
25Jul
Neighbourhood5 min read
I finally walked into the library on the corner
I'd passed it for four years and assumed it was mostly closed. It has a reading corner by the back window, a garden that smells like whatever season it is, and a librarian who remembers what you borrowed last time. I've been going once a week since. The lesson is embarrassing and useful: the things I assume aren't for me are rarely tested.
Read the entry →
22Jul
Habits3 min read
Charging the phone in the other room
Week three of leaving it in the living room overnight. The half hour before sleep has turned back into rest rather than scrolling, and mornings start with the window instead of a screen. A little distance was all it took — no app, no rule, just moving one object two rooms away.
Read the entry →
20Jul
Things I learned2 min read
Naming the basil made me remember to water it
The plant on the balcony has a name now, and somehow I no longer forget it for a fortnight at a time. Attention seems to follow attachment. Whatever the mechanism, the basil is doing better than it has all summer and I've stopped apologising to it.
Read the entry →