Old Habits Are Hard to Start

"Welcome back!" is what I hear the most now that I have officially returned from my vacation away from everything. And yes, it was time away from everything. Aside from listening to some local (Chicago) news and keeping up on my sports scores, I mostly tuned out all my creature habits. No television, no consulting work, and surprisingly, no writing. The environment was indeed inspiring and quite peaceful, but this was about disconnecting from things for a while, and I did exactly that. And I needed to.

Now that everyone has said, "Welcome back!" they have followed it quickly with, "Are you ready to get back to everything?" The answer is no. I have actually needed to rediscover my habits, reset my little priorities, and try and figure out just how I functioned prior to my vacation. Having been away from regular doses of friends, news, writing, complaining about the world, and so on, getting back into the routine has been difficult. However, this is also an opportunity.

I readily admit that not all my habits have been good ones. Back in my misspent youth, one of my habits was cigarettes - a blatantly bad habit but one that I insisted upon because it took the edge off a very jagged world at the time (and later because I was simply addicted). It started off with purpose and reason, but gradually interfered with my existence rather than contributed to it. Do you know how uncomfortable it is to go cross-country cycling with a cigarette in your mouth? Not easy at all. The habit had served its purpose and it was time to change.

Along a similar vein, my writing habits had taken different shapes, and this little time-out has given me time to re-assess. As I often recommend, a writer should have dedicated routines and places for writing, for editing, or for just being creative. These defined zones contribute to being in the right frame of mind for doing these processes, and the more familiar they become, the more conducive they are to those processes. Over the past few years, my boundaries have kind of drifted, and it was time to rewrite the rules. So, when I got home from this recent vacation, I formally established my literary zones - for serious writing, for creative writing, for editing, and for reading. This does require a mental reset, and there will be adjustment, but in the end it will all be worth it.

Another thing writers should drift toward is regular writing. This I am having some difficulty with given the chaotic nature of my schedule, but it is very important. Keeping the creative juices percolating is essential to being creative in general, so I am re-establishing my creative time (along with my intellectual time, my thought-free time, and other important times). Unless the world interferes, I give myself a half hour to think about things in a creative manner - ponder the "what if" of the world, or think about a story and ask myself how I would've written it. 

When you get the chance, look at the structure of your creative world, and see if it still fits. More importantly, see where it can be changed for the better, then go through the arduous process of actually doing it. And then, of course, make the changes and stick to them.

But maybe go on vacation first. I recommend SW Colorado - it's beautiful this time of year.