It’s Done So Much More Than Improve My Writing

It seems like forever, but I’ve only been writing on Medium for a little over ten months. At the end of January 2020, I began writing at Medium. The first couple of months were mostly a learning curve, and then March rolled around and dropped a pandemic in our laps. But as a writer, all that did was give me more things to write about and time to focus on my craft.

And focus, I did.

Now, as I look back on most of a year writing on this platform, I can see all the ways that writing for Medium changed my life. I don’t know what 2021 will bring, but I feel confident that I will continue this journey and grow with the platform. If it’s anything like this year, all I can hope for is to continue my growth as a writer. …

And How I Start Mine

Do you ever wish you had more time?

Of course, you do. I’ve never heard anyone wish for less time.

But actually, you don’t need more time; you need better time. You need time when you can be more productive. And when is that? After the kids get up, and you need to make breakfast? Between your conference call and your Zoom meeting?

No. The only time where you can indeed be more productive is the only time in which you have total control.

Early.

I hear you. You’re not a morning person. Sorry, but I don’t know what that even means. Forget that circadian rhythm crap. You don’t get up early because you don’t want to. And when forced to get up early, you act like anyone else being made to do something they don’t want to. …

And Keep Your Task List Fresh

Do you sometimes dread opening up that to-do list every morning? How often do you look at your daily tasks and think, “DDSS?”

Burnout is one of the biggest enemies of productivity. But don’t think that burnout only comes from doing too much for too long. It can also come from stagnation, which leads to boredom, which leads to being unproductive.

But you can easily fight this form of burnout and keep your productivity from getting stagnant. You just have to keep that task list fresh; keep it alive. …

And no, it’s not an oxymoron

I know, saying Thanksgiving and 2020 in the same sentence seems like a total contradiction in terms, but bear with me. I think we have a lot to be thankful for, and as we progress through these unusual times, there will be more.

First and foremost, we made it to the end of November. It may be different where you are, but here, that means almost nine months of this new normal. And we are still alive. I know not everyone is, but I am, and since you are reading this, I’ll jump to the conclusion that you are too.

And this year, more than most, that in itself is something to be thankful for. I am also healthy. It’s probably been one of the healthiest years I have had in recent memory. And no wonder. Never in my sixty-five years have I put so much effort into avoiding contact with germs. Or any other living organism, for that matter. They say the flu season will be bad this year, but I don’t know how that can happen. …

And the List Keeps Growing

As my faithful readers know, I am huge on productivity. I maintain a to-do list to manage my everyday tasks as well as manage all personal projects. I’ve done this just about my entire adult life.

As you also may recall, I’m also passionate about maintaining a morning routine. This one has evolved quite a bit. The only constant has been coffee. But the things before, during, and after that coffee has changed over the years.

But over the last few years, there have been a set of items that remains at the top of my to-do list. Regardless of the software used and how I sort things, they are always at the top. And unlike the rest of my list, they don’t get checked off until the end of the day. So they are always right there to remind me of the things I need to do. They are part of my morning routine. …

And Then I Met This Guy

I have had many transformations in my 65 years on this rock, some small, some soul-shattering. Perhaps I’ll write about those another time. But it seemed as though every five to seven years, my life took a sharp turn, sometimes doing a full 180. But I thought, I’ve retired, moved into what will probably be my last home, and things have hit a comfortable status quo.

Well, that was about five years ago. But this change didn’t come about suddenly. And it didn’t come about because of, or at the time of Covid, although that event furthered the change. …

It’s not Just a state of mind; it’s a superpower

You did it again, didn’t you?

You let yourself run out of ideas of things to write about. Every time this happens, you promise you won’t let it happen again. You put Idea Generation on your to-do list. You write it in big red letters and draw circles and arrows around it. You make it a Really Big Deal.

But when it comes time to do it, it’s like trying to go to sleep so Santa Claus will come. You just sit there, staring at the screen. Writer’s block? Hell, you have thinker’s block.

But here’s a talent I have developed; a sort of superpower. Instead of idea generation being this active task you have to accomplish, it becomes more passive. Which makes more sense if you think about it. After all, you’ve tried it the other way too many times. Okay, think of ideas. …

These Things Will Change Soon

Have you started planning for retirement yet?

You should be. Ideally, retirement planning should begin as soon as you enter the workforce. In my opinion, it is something that should be taught starting at the grade school level. It seems to be getting better, but I’m always shocked at how many people walk out the door on their last day of employment and ask themselves. “What now?”

They didn’t plan. They had some vague notion of social security or the equivalent in their country. Perhaps they looked forward to the day when they didn’t have to work anymore. But they didn’t give any thought to what they would need to pay for and how they would manage it. Some people retire after as little as 25 to 30 years in the workforce. …