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I have been doing morning pages for 10 years and have been attempting to to force the habit of writing for longer. I don't like writing. You definitely get bett

I have been doing morning pages for 10 years and have been attempting to to force the habit of writing for longer. I don't like writing. You definitely get better at writing, but some things just don't get easier. Same for running. Daily runner. It is the best thing I have ever done. But it sucks and never gets easier. Is there anything to get rid of this feeling of suck?

wsinks 6y ago
No pain, no gain? I think it's just learning to be uncomfortable and that it's 'part of the process'. Imagine how good you'll feel after. It's all I can come up with.
- bovermyer 6y ago
  For me it's not that running is uncomfortable. It's that running is boring.
  - NewOrderNow 6y ago
    I thin this plays a huge factor. Running on a treadmill is almost impossible for me (without watching a movie or something visual), but running in real life is more bearable. I feel engagement certainly helps.
  - SketchySeaBeast 6y ago
    I use it as podcast or audiobook time. Which is good because with everyone working from home I've lost my commute listening time.
finnh 6y ago
That's interesting about running - for me the feeling of discomfort only lasted a week or two at the start (this is years ago) and then i completely fell in love with it... doesn't suck, got very easy. I suppose choices of music or might help? I don't know what to say - if you run daily and still hate it, that just blows my mind. EDIT: coming back to say - maybe you just aren't a runner? Try lifting instead? I know a few people who, like you, totally hate running but love to lift heavy things.
- NewOrderNow 6y ago
  It definitely is the greatest feeling after it is all over. And I lift daily as well and it is engaging than running.
- me_smith 6y ago
  I agree with the edit. I think some people just enjoy running or lifting more. I used to run regularly but I never looked forward to it. Even with goals like 5Ks or half marathons, I didn't enjoy the experience of improvement. I had to drag myself out of the house to do it. I look forward to and enjoy lifting weights (deadlifts, front/back squats, presses, cleans, snatches). I enjoy the idea of being able to lift something that I wasn't able to lift a year ago or even a month ago. And, even if I added just 2.5 lbs to my personal record, it is such an accomplishment in my head. I don't drag myself out of the house for lifting. I cancel plans to ensure that I can lift. Maybe it is the difficulty in tracking improvement. I find it hard to track how much I improved in running. To me, it isn't discreet improvements over time because so much can happen during a running session (traffic, lights, people) which can vary results. Whereas lifting, it is usually in a more controlled environment and you add discreet number of lbs/kg to the bar.
hombre_fatal 6y ago
I found a hack for each one of those that makes me enjoy them. For daily creative writing, I use a journaling app (happens to be Day One on macOS/iOS) and then pick a writing prompt from r/WritingPrompts if I otherwise have no other ideas. I choose one of the top three submissions. When I started, I had no idea what to write. It was a struggle to write a paragraph. It's weird how it gets easier to create ideas. It's the same people say about improv class - overtime you get better at coming up with reactions to things. For daily running, I finally gave in and bought bluetooth headphones after thinking they couldn't be that much better than wired headphones. Though I'm sure most people already have a BT headset solution here. But what I do is have a podcast or audiobook I only listen to on runs. For example, maybe it's a Joe Rogan interview with someone I like. Or a thrilling work of fiction. Currently listening to Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, kinda fun (https://audiobookreviews.com/Dark-Matter/1357 https://audiobookreviews.com/Dark-Matter/1357). I now look forward to running. Especially if it's a good episode or book that I want more of. Sometimes, during the climax of the book or a great twist, I've even gone out to run again just to get another hour in. I also just look at runs as some personal time. Running sucked when I was out of shape, but now they are some nice time away from the world. Oh, and if you're just running on a treadmill, there's nothing that will make that pleasant, I don't think.
jasonv 6y ago
For me: First, getting on a streak reduces the suck. Breaking the streak and getting back into it multiplies the suck. Second, have no thoughts about the suck. Let it leave but a whisper in the mind. Dismiss it as quietly, casually and quickly as possible and get to the next thought, or no-thought.
bambax 6y ago
There's this site that publishes "inspiring" quotes about writing, from writers; some are good, some less so. I really like this one: > Writing is painful—it’s “fun” only for novices, the very young, and hacks — Mary Karr https://advicetowriters.com/advice/three-writing-truths-1 https://advicetowriters.com/advice/three-writing-truths-1
- burntoutfire 6y ago
  And for Bukowski. His advice for people who suffer when writing was "Don't try". In truth though, the guy was a complicated enough character that I'm not sure that he was saying that in earnest.
- NewOrderNow 6y ago
  One of the few times when the phrase "the struggle is real" is warranted.
markc 6y ago
I despised running as long as I was doing under 3 miles per session. Once I pushed to 5 miles it was a very different experience. No more oxygen deficit, almost effortless, with all those lovely endorphins telling you you're awesome.
- NewOrderNow 6y ago
  This is fascinating as my typical session is around 3 miles. I will have to try this out for a month to see results. Thanks

wsinks 6y ago

No pain, no gain? I think it's just learning to be uncomfortable and that it's 'part of the process'. Imagine how good you'll feel after. It's all I can come up with.

bovermyer 6y ago
For me it's not that running is uncomfortable. It's that running is boring.
- NewOrderNow 6y ago
  I thin this plays a huge factor. Running on a treadmill is almost impossible for me (without watching a movie or something visual), but running in real life is more bearable. I feel engagement certainly helps.
- SketchySeaBeast 6y ago
  I use it as podcast or audiobook time. Which is good because with everyone working from home I've lost my commute listening time.

finnh 6y ago

That's interesting about running - for me the feeling of discomfort only lasted a week or two at the start (this is years ago) and then i completely fell in love with it... doesn't suck, got very easy. I suppose choices of music or might help? I don't know what to say - if you run daily and still hate it, that just blows my mind. EDIT: coming back to say - maybe you just aren't a runner? Try lifting instead? I know a few people who, like you, totally hate running but love to lift heavy things.

NewOrderNow 6y ago
It definitely is the greatest feeling after it is all over. And I lift daily as well and it is engaging than running.
me_smith 6y ago
I agree with the edit. I think some people just enjoy running or lifting more. I used to run regularly but I never looked forward to it. Even with goals like 5Ks or half marathons, I didn't enjoy the experience of improvement. I had to drag myself out of the house to do it. I look forward to and enjoy lifting weights (deadlifts, front/back squats, presses, cleans, snatches). I enjoy the idea of being able to lift something that I wasn't able to lift a year ago or even a month ago. And, even if I added just 2.5 lbs to my personal record, it is such an accomplishment in my head. I don't drag myself out of the house for lifting. I cancel plans to ensure that I can lift. Maybe it is the difficulty in tracking improvement. I find it hard to track how much I improved in running. To me, it isn't discreet improvements over time because so much can happen during a running session (traffic, lights, people) which can vary results. Whereas lifting, it is usually in a more controlled environment and you add discreet number of lbs/kg to the bar.

hombre_fatal 6y ago

I found a hack for each one of those that makes me enjoy them. For daily creative writing, I use a journaling app (happens to be Day One on macOS/iOS) and then pick a writing prompt from r/WritingPrompts if I otherwise have no other ideas. I choose one of the top three submissions. When I started, I had no idea what to write. It was a struggle to write a paragraph. It's weird how it gets easier to create ideas. It's the same people say about improv class - overtime you get better at coming up with reactions to things. For daily running, I finally gave in and bought bluetooth headphones after thinking they couldn't be that much better than wired headphones. Though I'm sure most people already have a BT headset solution here. But what I do is have a podcast or audiobook I only listen to on runs. For example, maybe it's a Joe Rogan interview with someone I like. Or a thrilling work of fiction. Currently listening to Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, kinda fun (https://audiobookreviews.com/Dark-Matter/1357 https://audiobookreviews.com/Dark-Matter/1357). I now look forward to running. Especially if it's a good episode or book that I want more of. Sometimes, during the climax of the book or a great twist, I've even gone out to run again just to get another hour in. I also just look at runs as some personal time. Running sucked when I was out of shape, but now they are some nice time away from the world. Oh, and if you're just running on a treadmill, there's nothing that will make that pleasant, I don't think.

jasonv 6y ago

For me: First, getting on a streak reduces the suck. Breaking the streak and getting back into it multiplies the suck. Second, have no thoughts about the suck. Let it leave but a whisper in the mind. Dismiss it as quietly, casually and quickly as possible and get to the next thought, or no-thought.

bambax 6y ago

There's this site that publishes "inspiring" quotes about writing, from writers; some are good, some less so. I really like this one: > Writing is painful—it’s “fun” only for novices, the very young, and hacks — Mary Karr https://advicetowriters.com/advice/three-writing-truths-1 https://advicetowriters.com/advice/three-writing-truths-1

burntoutfire 6y ago
And for Bukowski. His advice for people who suffer when writing was "Don't try". In truth though, the guy was a complicated enough character that I'm not sure that he was saying that in earnest.
NewOrderNow 6y ago
One of the few times when the phrase "the struggle is real" is warranted.

markc 6y ago

I despised running as long as I was doing under 3 miles per session. Once I pushed to 5 miles it was a very different experience. No more oxygen deficit, almost effortless, with all those lovely endorphins telling you you're awesome.

NewOrderNow 6y ago
This is fascinating as my typical session is around 3 miles. I will have to try this out for a month to see results. Thanks