A swim in the sea at Stonehaven
This morning I swam in the sea. Getting in is painful, walking on the pebbles and stones with bare feet. Then the freezing cold water hitting your feet and heading up your legs. You know that the first few strokes with your body submerged are going to be difficult but at some point you just have to take plunge and you know it’ll be worth it!
For me this is very similar to starting a piece of writing or a big project — I know it needs to be done but making the decision to take those first few uncomfortable steps brings out the most procrastinating part of me!
One of the aspects I have found really useful in the open working project is the structure of the 5 min planning — 20 min working — 5 min editing. Those first 5 mins can be a bit rocky, much like heading into the sea, but once that part is accomplished then you’re ready to go. 9 times out of 10 once I’m ‘in’ I can just swim along and get the 20 minutes working done (although I’m far more easily distracted on my laptop than when swimming).
I have found I can get a long way with writing a blog post or social media content following this structure. I have equally applied it to other ongoing projects, although with bigger ones it tends to take a few of these chunks to get there.
Then you have the slightly awkward editing, finishing off part. Similar to getting dry and changed on a beach, needs doing but it’s a bit uncomfortable, balancing on the rocks to get your clothes back on whilst trying not to flash your bits to the world. Tidying up my writing, getting someone to proofread if it’s to be published, making sure all the links work etc.
And the best part — afterwards. For my swim this morning, the hot coffee and tasty fresh pastry and the feeling of being alive. This week I’ve been visiting The Old Pier, Stonehaven for excellent coffee and a pastry post swim.
