Reader,

I want to pull back the curtain to share a behind-the-scenes glimpse into my writing life that might be helpful if your dream involves writing or creating content on a regular basis.

(But even if it doesn’t, there’s something here for you as well.)

At the beginning of August, in a moment of procrastinating the real work that needed to be done, I opened up a SubStack email touting recommendations for my next read.

Two posts caught my attention: one was about a weekly practice for generating new ideas to write about and the second was on “list” journaling.

I’ve been a writer and journaler ever since I can remember. But these days, it’s rare to have an hour where I can sit down, put pen to paper, and compose an account of the current happenings in my life.

I’d never heard of a list journal before, but after reading the post, it sounded intriguingly simple and worth a try.

So, I grabbed a blank journal from my office shelf, chose a few prompts to write at the top of each page, and spent 15 minutes responding to them.

At the end I thought, “Okay. That was fun.”

But what happened next was even better.

I read the other SubStack article about idea generation and, combining the two concepts, I wondered:

What if I used a list journal to collect ideas for my weekly newsletter?

I decided to give it a try.

Now, nearly two months into the practice, here’s what that looks like in my writing life:

Once a week, I set aside 15 minutes to jot down things that happened to me that week that I might want to use in a future newsletter.

I do this as a list journal. Everything on the page starts with a bullet point. I’m not going into detail or trying to figure out what each experience taught me; that’s not the point. I’m simply collecting the experiences, observations, and ideas that I might want to write about later.

Then, when it’s time to write my newsletter, I start by looking at this growing list of ideas to choose from.

(Take a look back at your inbox; in three of the last four newsletters, you'll see the topics above in action.)

The funny thing is, I didn’t follow either writer’s practice exactly. I took what interested me from both, tried something new, and discovered an approach that works for me.

No more blinking cursor on a blank page.

Or trying to make up something meaningful on the fly just because I have a deadline.

Now I’m choosing from real-life experiences I’ve already taken time to notice.

And this practice has made all the difference.

It’s made writing feel fun again.

And creative.

Even personally beneficial.

Because I’m building a collection of stories from my everyday life that I might otherwise have forgotten.

It’s provided a way for me to return to journaling without needing to carve out an hour to sit on the couch and write.

But maybe your dream doesn’t involve a weekly newsletter.

Even so, I wonder what would happen if you gave yourself 15 minutes each week to reflect on what’s been happening in your everyday life.

You don’t have to know what to do with everything you write down. There’s value in simply making space to pay attention.

And if your dream does involve creating content, you might discover this practice gives you a pool of ideas from which to create.

Speaking of making room to write and reflect…

A few weeks ago, I asked whether you’d be interested in a simple set of monthly reflection questions.

The response was encouraging enough that I’ve decided to create something so you can build a regular practice of pausing to pay attention to what’s happening in your life and dream.

Because it’s easy to move from one thing to the next without taking time to notice what you’re learning, how you’re growing, and what God might have been showing you along the way.

In case you missed that email, here’s your chance to tell me that you want to be notified when the resource is ready. Just click the link below.

​​→ YES! Let me know when the reflection questions are ready.

I’m excited to create something to help meet this need for you and your dream.

Until then, as always, I am…

P.S. Curious to read the two SubStack posts for yourself? I'm happy to share:

​The 2-Hour Daily Writing System That Replaced My 9-To-5 Income by The Human Project

​You should start a “List” Journal by Bryant Del Toro at The Stationary Project