East Bay Bookshelf

Happy Friday! It has been very rainy this week in the East Bay and I have to admit that I have been reading more news than books this week.

Today I’m bringing you a behind-the-scenes look at my writing schedule, why it is important to simply remember my goals, a Shel Silverstein poem, my “Last, Now, Next,” and I’m sharing the books my husband and son are currently reading.

Behind the Scenes

When I first started East Bay Bookshelf, I knew that I needed to develop a system to stick with it each week. Most of the time I do a good job at staying on schedule, however, some weeks I get a little off track. I’m always so interested in the behind-the-scenes of what works for other people, so I’m sharing my own (ideal) writing schedule here!

• Saturday & Sunday: This is when I consume the most bookish content and start brainstorming ideas for the following week’s “5 on a Friday” post. I also start drafting some of the details.
• Monday: Finish first writing draft of the post.
• Tuesday: Add relevant photos. Sometimes I know exactly what photos to use and other times, it takes me a bit longer to search!
• Wednesday: Create links to the relevant content. This takes longer than you might think!
• Thursday: Proof-read and send a test email to myself. Schedule to publish on Friday morning at 6am Pacific Time.
• Friday: Once the post is live, I check to ensure the email went out to subscribers. Then I create a quick Instagram story with the link.

And the whole process starts again on Saturday!

A Method to Remember

I traveled over the holidays and recently again for work. Both times when I was away, I was able to keep up with my daily personal goals for the most part. Then when I returned home, I picked back up again easily. I think the reason I’ve generally been more successful now than in the past is because I’m actually writing down my daily goals in a notebook – and yes, carrying that notebook with me on flights across the country. I track things like walking, strength training, stretching, drinking plenty of water, taking vitamins, writing, and reading. I’m not perfect every day by any means, but what I’m finding is that half of keeping up with my habits is simply remembering them. This is especially helpful when the habit cues entirely disappear while traveling. If you struggle with this, I simply recommend developing a method to remember before being too hard on yourself about willpower or motivation. Try it out!

Masks

Last week I participated in an activity with people I don’t know well where I had to share an “All About Me” presentation. I love hearing about other people’s interests, families, and hobbies. However, as I was thinking about what to add to my own, the thought did occur to me “I wonder what they will think of this musician / podcast / book that I like.”

When I start feeling this way, I always remember this poem called Masks by Shel Silverstein. I have found that the more I reveal about myself, the easier it is to find kindred spirits and make deeper connections!

She had blue skin,
And so did he.
He kept it hid
And so did she.
They searched for blue
Their whole life through,
Then passed right by –
And never knew.

Last, Now, Next

I just finished Yellowface by R.F. Kuang. 4 stars from me! It started off so strong and then I felt a little fizzle at the end. I’ve never read a book quite like this – great for anyone who loves books about books and desires to think deeply about who writes the books we read. I’m excited to discuss this at book club in March!

I’m currently reading Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson.

Next, I plan on reading How the Penguins Saved Veronica by Hazel Prior.

He’s Reading

My husband is currently listening to Foundation Isaac Asimov. He said it’s a series and there are two prequels to this book, but he’s reading them in the order they were published!

My son, who is in first grade, is currently reading The Doll in the Hall and Other Scary Stories. I have to admit we read this before bed one night and it was actually a little spooky!

That’s it for today! This weekend we plan on watching the Super Bowl. Regular readers of EBB, you already know who I’m cheering for!