And just like that, it’s day 7 of what started as simply writing a daily post for seven days to gently get some momentum going, and turned into a week-long experiment in gentle momentum.
When the idea struck, or perhaps a better description would be sauntered into view rather than arriving with full fanfare, I thought it would just be seven unrelated posts. I never intended there to be a theme for the week. I suspect that would have felt far too daunting!
Then, as I sat down to write this final one, I could feel the tension beginning. The thoughts kicked in.
Well, you’ve done six on this theme. The last one should build to something. It should end with a bang. What’s the point you’ve been leading towards?
The only problem with that was… I hadn’t consciously been building towards anything.
So those questions, mixed with the pressure of should, left me with nothing but a blank page.
Once I’d spotted that feeling, I found myself eavesdropping on my own thinking. Not particularly invested, just like when your attention is suddenly drawn to a conversation happening on a train. You weren’t trying to listen, but there it is, unfolding right in front of you, and you can’t go anywhere.
Then, quietly, another thought appeared.
Well… you could write it that way. But you don’t have to.
And just like that, the pressure softened.
Perhaps that’s been the biggest thing I’ve noticed this week.
Gentle momentum hasn’t come from having a perfect plan or knowing exactly where I’m heading. It has come from taking the next step and noticing how quickly things begin to move once the weight of should eases.
When I wrote day 1, Bring Your To-Do List didn’t even exist.
I don’t think I’d have seen the idea if I hadn’t started moving.
That feels rather fitting.
Sometimes momentum doesn’t come from knowing exactly where you’re going.
Sometimes it quietly introduces you to somewhere you hadn’t even thought to look.
If you’d like to join me on Tuesday, bring your to-do list exactly as it is.
We’ll simply begin with the next thing.
If you’d like to keep the conversation going,
I’d love to write to you.
Every couple of weeks, I’ll send you a letter with stories, observations and questions from my own life, shared in the hope they might spark something in yours.
When you join, I’ll also send you A Few Minutes. A short audio that’s simply an invitation to pause for a while and put everything down.
Kettle on. No rush.
Just between us
A quiet, thoughtful letter delivered every two weeks. Join today and receive “A Few Minutes”, a free 8½-minute guided audio to pause with. A small gift you don’t have to earn.
