How I Identified My 2nd Bad Habit.

Just when I thought it was time for me to get down to my writing, Sohana, my seven year old daughter shouts, “Papa, 6’o clock is your story telling time. You’re ready, right?”

Oops, I had forgotten that completely. “Yes, I’m ready, but only if you’re busy with your gadgets, it’s fine, we can skip today.” I tried to escape.

“No papa, we’re interested in listening to the story”.

Arghh.

Now, my mind diverted to, “which story am I going to tell the children?”, “ I don’t have one handy..” It’s almost 6pm.

I go to Amazon and buy an e-book instantly. This is the one which I’d been contemplating for a while – “Move mountains – One Story at a time, by Mukesh Kulothia and Deepak Sharma”.

It’s a book for all ages, and especially if you’re a parent looking for a book with short, interesting stories for your child, you must buy/ gift it to them.

I read one story and then another one and couple more. I love it. Every story has a caricatures too, which help recall the story long after the story is read. Then, I think I’m decided which story am I going to tell children today.

I head to the place from where I’m going to tell my story, or should I say show my story (I want to bring the whole of me into the story, with the props, the visuals and the body language).

Online LitFest I loved attending –

Story starts and goes very well. Kids love it. It’s almost 6:15pm. I can now go back to my writing. Well, or so I think.

Then, I sit down to writing.. again. But mind, I tell you is such a monkey that it will keep jumping from here to there.

I suddenly remember that there was a LitFest that I had so badly wanted to attend. At this time.

I can’t afford to miss it. No way. I quickly searched my email and opened the Zoom link.

Some time goes by. I loved every word I heard. It’s so fulfilling. I feel complete. First online LitFest organized by Phoenix Toastmasters Club. 

There is so much going on online these days, depending on what you’re interested in. Just check out the options and make the most of this time. I decide that now I will resume my writing..

Writing tool I simply loved–

I look at the monitor and wonder – “..but where do I write?”. My mind goes back in time when I had had the pleasure of writing on an online service called 750words.com. I so loved the feel of it. 6:30pm by now as I’m still trying in vain to settle my mind to use may be Outlook and send an email, or how about my WordPress site, or even MS Word. But, its become harder and harder to convince my mind. It comes back with “There’s nothing like 750words, my friend.” I go ahead and open 750words.com. Of course, I no longer have the subscription. (It’s $5 a month and worth every cent). I have to get it and have to get it right now. 7:15 PM now..

Quote I’m pondering –

I have often wondered where the heck does my scheduled writing time go. And this time around, I actually wrote about exactly that. Now, I know, that my monkey mind will be distracted to every possible place. I probably need to be chained to my chair, which unlocks only after I write 750 words on the blank screen. So, in order to tame your monkey, here is the quote I am pondering:

What I figured out –

This is what happens to me. Every time. This time I’ve decided to nail it down. Where on earth is my writing time going. And, after all this, I decided to leave what I had originally planned to write about and instead, write about why I couldn’t write. It’s 7:48 pm now, and this information is useful. Perhaps. I don’t know. But, I had to find out who was stealing my writing time away. And voila, I’ve written over 750 words already. It brings me on track for my mission to write at least 750 words every day.