I’ve sketched in my sketchbook 7 times this month.

That may not seem like a lot, but compared to last year - where I sketched 15 times over the entire year, that’s a 641% increase in sketching so far!

7 times in 23 days.

It’s really not a lot.

But it’s a start. Each of those days required a concerted effort. I took out my sketchbook, sat down, and drew something for a period of time. I had to take time out of my busy day. I had to turn off all distractions and focus on the task. I had to set it up to be as easy as possible, putting a sketchbook in a pen in a visible spot. I also went out and bought a smaller sketchbook to travel with that I can take with me to coffee shops and out and about.

I have also collected a Pinterest board of ideas to sketch. I’m making this process as low-stakes as possible and allowing myself to copy other people’s drawings. That may seem like cheating for some, but my goal is to sketch and play around with line and how the pen moves on the paper.

​

Why does this matter to you?

This is me going through the process of building a habit.

With the right skills and systems, anyone can build a habit that they can be consistent with. And I have evidence of this in how I built my walking habit last year. It’s still going strong.

​

Even with the fires in LA and several low emotional days where I just haven’t had it in me, for the most part, I’m still showing up. This time on a treadmill inside while I wait for the air to dissipate a little bit more and not be quite so toxic that I’ll die of cancer in 6 years. Treadmill walking is hard on my soul - being stuck inside is NOT fun. But I’m tricking myself to keep doing it. I’ve got my coffee and a good podcast, and I use little successes to keep me going once I’ve started my walk.
​

​
It’s all a game for me, and while my brain is going UGGGHHH, I don’t want to be doing this inside staring at my moldy, cracked wall… I push through because I know how much better I feel when I do.

Sketching is a much easier habit for me to build because, for now, it’s all enjoyable. When I start to sketch from life and create my own compositions, it will get a lot harder because my perfectionist brain will show up and tell me I should be better at this and that I’m failing and should give up. I know that’s how the negative talk in my brain works — and I’m preparing for it. This is why for now, I am leaning into:

Let it be as easy as possible.

​

How could you adjust your environment to help make the habits you’re trying to build as easy as possible? Requiring less decision-making in the moment and reducing the friction standing in the way of you accomplishing what you say you want to?

​

Morgan

P.S. If you're a new subscriber, reply to this email and tell me a little bit about your journey and why you are here so I can create content that better serves you!