I started writing at the kitchen table shortly after eating breakfast. I figured if I could stack this short writing sprint onto something I never miss – my morning meal and relaxation – I would have a better chance of being consistent this month.

I’ve done a number of self improvements over the years that had varying levels of success, all of them reliant upon building a new habit.

A small example: I used to drink a lot, like a lot a lot of coffee throughout the day. I would finish a whole pot and then make another cup in the evening. Over time you don’t notice the effect of all that caffeine, but when I started looking after my overall health, I realized I was wasting a lot of calories on my coffee creamer (even the sugar free).

Since my morning coffee was a habit I wanted to keep, I switched out the expensive (in dollars and kcals) creamer for just a bit of regular milk which we already have on hand. No special “HB coffee only” purchase anymore, just use what’s already there.

This was months ago and I am delighted with my morning, milky coffee.

More importantly, it’s the only coffee I drink anymore.

It appears that I was merely drinking copious cups in order to have the sweet taste of the creamer. When I eliminated the creamer, the desire for that much coffee faded as well.

So, Day 2 of Camp Nanowrimo looked a lot like Day 1 and I think it’s best for Day 14 and Day 25 to look similar. I’ll probably edit and add more words later each day, or not. As long as I hit that goal by the time I get up from the kitchen table each morning, then I’m on the way.