Down at the New Amsterdam, Mr. Jones* strikes up a conversation. It’s actually something we’d talked about many times before. Mr. Jones wanted to start a writing practice. He had a strong desire but no follow-through.
I expected a result similar to others in my New Year’s Resolution studies:
- A lot of guilt about not playing the proverbial guitar
- Rebellion against my suggestions
- A never-ending loop of Mr. Jones saying he wanted to write
So while I proposed an experiment to him, I expected it to fail.
I told him to get a pack of sticky notes. Instead of trying to do a lot of writing, I suggested starting with just a little. I told him to consider writing on one sticky note each day and then to see what happened next. Even just a single word would count.
I expected that Mr. Jones would write on only a few sticky notes, and then after a month, I would have evidence that he didn’t want to commit to writing. After all, he wouldn’t even commit to a minimum viable product.
As has been the theme of this month, I was wrong. This is why I don’t gamble on sports.
Instead, Mr. Jones was wildly successful. He immediately took to the sticky note idea. Some days he was writing three or four sticky notes. After two weeks, Mr. Jones started doing morning pages—three pages of free writing a day. After a month, he has not only written on 50 sticky notes but is also bursting with ideas for future projects.
Now, I don’t think the sticky note is the gold standard for starting a new habit, but it does offer a good lesson. Start as small as you can. Then grow to what works best for you.
For me, it’s about getting up each day and trying to tackle 2,000 words. I should pass my goal of 50,000 words this month, and next month, I’ll write my 25th weekly newsletter in a row.
We’re almost to a point where the year starts to stale a bit, but you can always start a new habit—buy a pack of sticky notes and start exploring. It’s far better to declare to experiment than resolve to change.
If you’ve found something that works for you, I’d love to hear it. A new year will be here soon enough, and maybe I can write about your idea. Just reply to this newsletter!
*Mr. Jones told me I could only use his last name in this newsletter. He felt his first, very common name, was more identifiable. While I disagree, given that he is a well-known friend of mine, I agreed. I respect my characters’ wishes regarding their identities—fictional, nonfictional or semifictional.