A gentle 10x10 close to the week

Plus, 8 things that made life brighter and better / Issue 1,441

Oh, hi friends!

And today we shall gently, quietly, patiently close down the week.

Or try to.

That’s the important part: trying.

Yesterday I finished up the 10x10 Experiment! 

I began this weird thing 10 days ago to get myself back on track with my most important routines: running, reading, and writing. 

The goal was to “get to 10” every day through a mix of miles, hours read, or pages written.

And…I actually did it! 

Across 10 days, I ran 30 miles, read for 16 hours, and wrote 54 pages.

Here’s what I learned…

---

Having goals and routines that work in tandem with each other just feels…better. When I ran, I thought about what I would write. When I read, I generated ideas and took notes.

Reading for 20 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes in the afternoon, and 25 minutes before bed feels like no time at all. Yet the time actually adds up. I finished reading four books, three plays, one musical, and started reading two other plays. Because there weren’t huge, weeklong gaps in my reading, I could just pick up a book anytime and dive back in.

Leaving my “tasks” until the end of the day is — no surprise — HORRIBLE. One night I practically pried my eyes open to finish my reading after 1 a.m. Yesterday I hauled myself off the couch for a run at 7:30 p.m.

This experiment made me push myself, little by little, to get slightly uncomfortable. 

And each time, I managed. I did what I set out to do.

What’s next? Maybe another 10x10 with some new tasks. Now I feel in a nice groove with writing, which I haven’t had in a long time. Each day flowed better than the last because there was zero pressure.

Just write something, I told myself.

Just do the things you’re supposed to do today.

Will all of that writing work? Definitely not. But now I have 54 pages of new scenes with all my Marathon characters to revise and incorporate back into the show. 

Nothing is wasted.

So that’s the larger point.

Experiments will teach you about yourself — and show you what you can do.

My view of the sunset off the Central Park reservoir last night!

8 Things That Made Life Brighter & Better

“Learn to enjoy the expenditure of energy that may or may not be on the correct path.” 

• The above is from Jerry Seinfeld’s Duke commencement address.

• Finally watched The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar on Netflix, it’s Wes Anderson’s adaptation of one of my all-time favorite Roald Dahl stories. Just great! And it’s only 40 minutes. I appreciate work that knows exactly what it is.

• This cracked open my brain in a good way: Rising beyond limits with open jar thinking, a TEDx talk by theater director Jeff Whiting.

• Is your clutter making you feel stuck and overwhelmed? Discover How to Let That Sh*t Go in a Zoom workshop with my friend and professional organizer Linda Samuels! She’s worked with two people I know who absolutely love her — one hour with her could give you practices to ease into the summer. Workshop is next week, Thursday, June 6 from 7-8pm ET. More info here.

• The Antelope Canyon X half marathon looks epic.

• Good gear makes life easier. My friend Aliza gifted me these incredible Bombas running socks, which were such a delightful and comfy addition to the week. And I got a pair of these (non-running) shoes and realized oh wait, good shoes might be the ticket to not inflame plantar fasciitis or neuromas on my feet. Solutions exist! 

• Canceled two subscriptions to things/services I was no longer using — mmm, so satisfying.

• Oh and I killed some big Lingerers yesterday.

Those are my big and small things.

I’d love to hear what made your life brighter and better this week!