How was your literate life this week? As always, I’m here in your Inbox to celebrate our literate lives with a sneak peek into my own. Here’s what I’ve been reading, writing, learning and loving this week:

What I’m Reading:

I love all things Gretchen Rubin. I was an instant fan after I read The Happiness Project and have been devoutly following her blog and listening to her podcast ever since. I couldn’t wait to dive into Better Than Before so I could borrow some of her habit and happiness techniques to enrich my life. My biggest take-away? To be Stephanie. Sure, we can strive for habits we think we SHOULD have, can copy habits of those we admire or even try new habits because they are good for us. But here’s the thing: habit formation is incredibly personal, so what works for one, might not for another. We need to understand ourselves enough to know which habits suit us best and then use our strengths to work for them. Gretchen talks about it all: the Four Tendencies (I’m a proud upholder), the pillars of habits and  how to form habits that will work for you. I’m eagerly looking forward to upping my habit game and living my own everyday life in Utopia. 

I also snuck in a bit of children’s literature, too. I read My Life as a Potato by Arianne Costner. I shared my review on Goodreads and on Twitter, too. Take a look!

What I’m Writing:

My writing is mirroring my reading this week and I’m drawing on my learning from Better Than Before to live the best life ever. =) This book was such a window into habit formation and Gretchen mentions how important scheduling habits is, both work and pleasure. So, I’ve been making some ideal schedules in my notebook to try them on for size. My early morning routine works beautifully…but then I often feel like I’m spinning my wheels without getting much done. I experimented with different schedules each day this week and think I’ve found one that will work. Give it a try! Create at least three different possibilities for your day and see what feels good.

What I’m Learning:

I was all business this week. I reminded myself how to make a Table of Contents in a Google Doc, explored how to create beautiful emails (for you!) in Flodesk, upped my Canva game (I’ll share my creations soon!) and updated the behind-the-scenes-settings of my blog. Whew! What a productive week.

Well, maybe not all business. I, like many, am obsessed with Amanda Gorman’s Inaugural Poem. Find The Hill We Climb here!

What I’m Loving:

Two main things had my attention this week: Cleo Wade (again!) and Wonderopolis. 

Since I love choosing a word to guide each month of the year and living it into existence, I was thrilled to read Cleo Wade explain her chosen word in her email newsletter: alchemy. She wasn’t talking “about the ancient magic of turning lead into gold, but a kind of personal power energetically or spiritually reimagining a situation. The power of reframing or transforming something negative into something positive or at the very least something useful.” Doesn’t that just sound like the perfect word? I’m tucking this one away and it will likely be on my One Word yearly calendar in my bullet journal soon.

Lastly, leave it to Wonderopolis to send me down a rabbit hole of curiosity. Wednesday’s Wonder was this: Does it Really Rain Diamonds on Neptune? Why yes, yes it does. And I had a grand time imagining that.

There you have it! I hope this inspires you to make space for more reading and writing in your own life. What are the highlights from your literate life this week?