A few weeks back, I ran a local 10K race. When I shared my plans with several people, they laughed.
My family and friends know that my weekly distance runs often exceed 10 miles.
10Ks, 6.2 miles, are shorter than marathons, but the push from competing with others makes them worthwhile. They also offer speed work and an endurance test.
On one curve of the race, it started to rain. The water hit my face like small acupuncture needles as I fought fatigue, trying to catch another runner. I wasn’t fast enough.
After I finished 12th overall and 3rd in my age and gender category with a time of 44.31, I wanted to write.
Once I made it home and showered, I pulled out my journal. I run because it helps with the writing and serves as therapy. The time alone allows me to sort through ideas and process emotions.
My writing feeds the running, and the running feeds the writing.
Although I wasn’t happy with the time or pace in the 10K race, it helped me acknowledge the relationship between my exercise and creativity habits.
If you want to write a book, divide the work into words, paragraphs, and pages. Then, create the schedule to improve your likelihood of achieving the goal. The structure to support daily progress is crucial.
This week, I ran some more and re-read James Clear’s book, “The Power of Habits.” The book offers a blueprint for implementing, sustaining, and breaking habits. Each chapter builds the thesis that incremental actions lead to monumental outcomes.
Clear suggests linking activities together and writing them in a concise statement.
For example, after I use the bathroom, I wash my hands. Hopefully, we share that habit. If not, please nod or give me a fist bump next time our paths cross.
I took James Clear’s advice last Friday after I finished the final pages of his book. In my journal, I wrote, “After I write 500 words, I will run 10 miles.” It was the first sentence I read on Saturday morning.
When I woke Saturday morning, did I want to write 500 words and run 10 miles? No, but I did it anyway.
Most of James Clear’s suggestions will not work without discipline and desire. He encourages us to make the habit easy and attractive to support consistency. The process involves establishing a cue, acknowledging the craving, responding, and rewarding the activity.
We also must master boredom. Our creative insights often come during uneventful moments, such as showering or driving in traffic.
If you’re not feeling challenged by one area of your life, appreciate the moment. Your positive habits will sustain you when the excitement and challenges arrive.
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This post was previously published on Vernon C. Lindsay’s blog and is republished on Medium.
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You may also like these posts on The Good Men Project:
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 The Lack of Gentle Platonic Touch in Men’s Lives is a Killer |
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