Getting Started

Introducing a daily habit of poetry (or any craft / practice) can be exhausting when it comes to getting it situated and repeated on a regular basis. Years ago I found out – and was most recently reminded by a talk I heard – that marrying one routine practice to another can be the most helpful way to begin a new routine.

Today it may be called habit stacking, but regardless of its name, it is a sure-fire way to get things started. You introduce your new craft or practice during, immediately before, or immediately after a current and regular routine.

For example, if you want to read a poem daily – or write a poem daily – do it just during, before, or just after something you already do regularly. Like write a poem while drinking your first cup of coffee each day, or just after you finish washing the evning dishes.

Rewarding yourself for success may or may not help, but it will definitely help if you consider writing poems synonymous with coffee, or dishes. This is why so many of us are able to right in cafes; we have built the practices along side each other. Sitting in cool places, with hip people, with cups of coffee and with writing poems. All one.