Just Do It (Again & Again & Again….)

By Jamie DeBree 2026/06/06 Uncategorized, Weekly News, Writing Notes

This past week, I challenged myself to turn the speech recorder on on my phone every night after work when I got in the car to drive home. The ultimate goal is to use my 15 minute drive to dictate the day’s scenes, so that late at night when I’m tired and winding down for bed, I can edit and plan the next day’s writing instead of trying to be creative.

As I said last week though, I always have a bunch of excuses for why I just “can’t” do that, hence my challenge. Sometimes writing is more about getting to the page (no matter what form that takes) than it is about the actual writing.

Predictably, it was an abnormal week where I had to complete an extra “side-quest” after work Monday, and got out of work late Tuesday and Thursday, and I also had to log in to check on a couple of things late Tuesday and Wednesday nights (also abnormal).

But…I prevailed. Monday night I had to drive out of my way for my after-work errand, and that actually worked in my favor, since my first round of dictation was…a bit rocky (I’m out of practice!). By the time I was on my way home though, I was doing better, and had something I could have used as a short story start.

Tuesday is writing group night, so even though I ran late getting out of work, I walked over to the bookstore (just a couple blocks from my office) and got a good writing session in.

Wednesday was relatively normal but I didn’t have anything planned for writing, and when I looked over the story start from Monday intending to continue it, it just…didn’t really work for me anymore. So I started over, and I definitely have something I like better started now.

Thursday, due to the late night work Weds, I didn’t have my scene planned, and I didn’t get the story start from Weds transcribed and put into writing software, so…failure to plan really hosed me up. But I still turned on the recording app, and blathered all the way to the pizza shop (Thurs is our pizza night), and considered that a win since the challenge was to simply turn the app on, whether I managed to get anything down or not.

As I write this, it’s Friday afternoon, and I’m sitting on my couch, typing on my reMarkable Paper Pro (new-to-me as of last week), and I’m not sure if I’ll dictate words tonight since I’m off work and don’t have a commute, or just type them. I do want to get back in the habit of dictating again, and it’s easier on the eyes (though this e-ink tablet is too) to dictate. So, I may try dictating while I make dinner this evening. I’ll just have to edit out all the “Honey, No! Apollo, Hush!” admonitions to my dogs, but that’s doable.

The thing is, even without good planning and the only challenge being to get over myself and just turn the voice recorder on in the car, I’ve gotten more words down this week than I have in a very long time. And I did hear those same excuses I always use in my head as I was walking out to the car: I don’t know what to work on, that problem at work is still in my head, I don’t feel like writing, I’m tired, I’m hungry, I just don’t wanna….

In spite of all that, I told myself to “just do it”, and I did. That time in the car – it’s immutable. I can never spend less time in the car because I have to get back home, and it’s always the same distance, so it’s never going to be longer or shorter. It’s one of the only times in the day that I have entirely to myself, where no one can actually interrupt me or make me do something else. No point in wasting it just sitting there, when I could be telling myself stories.

It’s really all about that mindset shift, and not letting myself get away with giving into the excuses.

Next week, the challenge is to keep starting the recording app as soon as I get in the car after work, and also to spend 20 minutes every night before my bedtime reading going over the day’s transcription, and planning what I’ll write the next day. Setting myself up for success.

Is there a habit you’re trying to change or establish right now? How’s it going? What kind of excuses are you ignoring so you can keep moving forward?

Until next time,

Jamie

P.S. I did indeed dictate after writing this post, and ended up with 1200 words for today. What a great way to end the week!

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Tagged on: habits, just do it, motivation, productivity, writing