The spring season is often a signal for us to clear our closets, drawers, and even our schedules. The tradition of spring cleaning actually dates back centuries, from ancient Persian New Year practices to the deep cleanings done before Passover, all rooted in making space for a fresh start.
But spring cleaning isn’t just about our homes. Think about giving your mind a good de-cluttering: letting go of the noise, the busyness, the “not enough time” thoughts that keep us stuck. I want to share this wonderful blog, written by my amazing assistant, Beth. It’s a reminder that creating space and finding time to write isn’t always about changing our circumstances. It’s about reconnecting with ourselves and changing our state of mind.
The Day I Couldn’t Write, But Then I Did
by Beth Price
This past Saturday, I had an extremely busy day planned. It was my only day off, and the list of tasks was long. Somewhere in the middle of all that, I really wanted to get some writing in.
Honestly, it felt impossible.
To make matters more complicated, I’m currently in between washing machines. I haven’t chosen a new set yet, which meant I found myself at my town’s only laundromat. I hadn’t used one in over 35 years. Ever since I was first married, I’ve always had a washer and dryer at home. Walking into this one brought back a rush of memories.
I watched as people came and went. Some carried neatly sorted baskets of whites, colors, and towels. Others arrived with everything stuffed into black garbage bags. A frail, elderly couple carefully filled an oversized washer with what seemed like an endless supply of blankets and sheets. Some paid the $5.50 per load with handfuls of quarters; others used an app to start their machines.
But what stood out most was the atmosphere. People were kind. They smiled, helped each other, and shared detergent or bleach. And for the first time in a few days, I relaxed. My to-do list was long, and spending a couple of hours washing clothes wasn’t ideal, but knowing I had two uninterrupted hours was appealing.
As I sat there, I began to imagine stories about the people around me. The mom with multiple loads, probably juggling kids, schedules, and her own never-ending to-do list. The tall young man with the garbage bag was tossing everything into one machine without sorting, and the elderly couple was possibly in the middle of a long-overdue spring cleaning.
And just like that, I wanted to write. Yes, right there in the midst of multiple washers spinning and the hum and tumble of the dryers. I was reminded that we can’t always wait for perfect conditions. So, I reached into my purse, pulled out my notebook, and began.
A laundromat has nothing to do with my novel. But being in a different environment, with time to sit and observe, sparked something. My creative mind had been sitting dormant for quite some time, but my mind opened, and I felt the need to pick up my pen!
With my notebook in hand, several empty laundry baskets around my feet, I sat on a hard plastic chair and took several deep breaths. Trying not to look strange, gave myself a very quick hug, and I made a quick cluster. Next, I sketched the Six Windows boxes, and the next scene in Chapter 19 flowed. The cluster revealed a few new perspectives, and the Six Windows gave me the space and direction to see if they would “stick.” And that was enough to move forward.
What struck me most was that it wasn’t the setting that mattered; it was the state I was in. I hadn’t planned a perfect writing session. I hadn’t cleared my schedule or created ideal conditions. But I had, even briefly, quieted the mental noise of busyness, connected back to myself, and my mind opened to new insight and possibilities.
Right there on a busy Saturday morning, at a laundromat.
| If this sounds familiar: trying to write in the middle of a full life, waiting for the “right time” that never quite comes, this is exactly the work we’re doing together. In the writing webinars, we’re learning how to create the conditions for writing from the inside out and then use simple, supportive structures to move those ideas onto the page. In our upcoming webinar, we’ll continue building on this process using the Word of the Day Cluster and the Six Windows to Writing, along with the Beyond Happiness Method to help you enter a calm, creative state no matter what your day looks like. And the results speak for themselves. One new participant from the last session shared after trying the exercise:“I was in flow… the ideas were amazing and out of the box. I wrote with ease, no struggling to keep going. I wrote for an hour and a half and could have kept going.” Jay M.That’s what’s possible when you combine a quiet mind with the right structure. If you’d like to learn more about the technique, join my FREE workshop on Monday, May 4. |
Writing Prompt: My Desk Spider
This little spider has been hanging out near my desk all week. I started to think about spiders in general. The patience. The stillness. The way something incredible is built thread by thread, the nature of the spider, the savageness. Many metaphors came to mind.
If you feel like writing this week, try this:
Take a moment to observe something small in your own space. Let it become your Word of the Day. Then write a few lines, a reflection, a scene, or even a short, playful story. And if you want to share, I’d love to read your work and post it in the next newsletter!
My Substack community is growing into a space for thoughtful reflection and creative exploration. It’s FREE to subscribe, and each installment touches on writing, personal development, neuroscience-based practices, and the deeper questions that shape our lives and creative work. I’d be glad to have you there.
The idea of returning to yourself sounds gentle, almost poetic. It suggests ease, relief, a soft landing back into something familiar. But that’s not how it feels. It feels more like stepping onto a dance floor where you don’t quite know the steps…[READ MORE]
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