So, it’s always a tall order to write the first post on a blog that’s been abandoned for nearly three years. There isn’t really much point in updating you, the reader, on what I’ve been up to as, first, there are no regular readers, and second, well, it just seems a bit pointless. I did update my About page though, so you could start there to get an idea of who I am and what I’m doing here now.

The short answer is that, as a writer, I need to write more publicly than I have been. After nearly three years working on my PhD and learning how to be a university teacher, I’ve rarely put anything ‘out there’ – even my tweets are few and far between. I’ve done plenty of offline writing, of course, although I’m sure my supervisor would like to see more progress on my thesis. No doubt I’ll be writing at length about my procrastination issues, at some point….

But like many others, the coronavirus lockdown has pushed me into routines and activities that are a bit different to my ‘normal life’. For me, reconnecting with writing at the moment is important. Writing my first day in over 18 months on 750words.com felt really good, and while I’m not quite at the point of committing to a specific writing streak target (my longest streak so far is 113 days way back in 2013) I’m going to try and spend the first half an hour of each day writing out my thoughts, until a different aim seems more appropriate.

And I’m also going to write a few blog posts. And maybe share them. And I’ll see where that leads me…

P.S. Finding time and space to write can be challenging, but finding time and space to *think* about what you’re going to write is the far greater challenge.
Thinking Time is my regular(ish) letter about productivity, positivity, and (ugh) procrastination, and is dedicated to writers and students who want to get more (thoughtful) writing done.