Stop: what were you doing ten minutes ago?
Write it down now. Just stop and jot down what you were doing.
It’s so easy to get distracted that even something as recent as ten minutes ago can be difficult to recall, a lost moment. And yet the briefest encounters can change everything. Something that happened ten minutes ago can completely change who you are at this moment.
Ten Minutes Ago I saw you,
I looked up when you came through the door
My head started reeling, You gave me the feeling
the room had no ceiling or floor.Richard Rogers - Cinderella
While you may not be Prince Charming or Cinderella, the littlest things, just like walking through a door, can completely change your experience. But only if you’re paying attention. And writers need to be able to pay attention.
What happened ten minutes ago to you? Major, minor, trivial, significant—it all matters to some extent in who you are NOW.
For today’s assignment, stop every hour on the hour, recall what happened to you ten minutes ago, and write it down. Over the course of the day you’ll find yourself being more mindful, especially at ten minutes before the hour, but also in general. If you know you’ll need to remember something, you’ll be more likely to be able to do it.
Make your list of events, at least eight to ten throughout the day, then review them at the end of your day. Does this list help you to remember more of your day? Did you find yourself being more present and attentive during this day?
Who knows? You may never come down to earth again.
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The Writing Assignment: Ten Minutes Ago by Randy Murray, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
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