It’s easy for me to make excuses to avoid sitting down and doing my daily writing. Especially on days when my day job devours most of my time.

Morning routine, commute, work, commute, eat supper… that’s the day. Finding even 10 minutes to sit and type is difficult at best. Trying to squeeze it in when I still have some fuel in the tank is even worse.

Sure, I could switch up my morning routine. But that would mean sacrificing one of the activities that helps me progress in other ways.

A better option would be to spend some time on one of my work breaks. I don’t need my computer to write. The trick here is finding a quiet spot, free from noise and distractions, to do the work.

Or I could stop complaining and just make it happen. Ten minutes to get words down is easy enough. Nothing is stopping me from writing while distracted or exhausted — what I produce just might not be very good.

The real challenge, then, is allowing myself to write badly, without overthinking it.

I’m not seeking to win a Pulitzer with this daily practice.

I’m seeking the practice itself.