Whenever I use my whole body to write—dictating while on a walk or writing on a whiteboard—things seem to gel. This was no different. Slowly but surely, the pieces of paper rearranged themselves into the threads you see today.

#3—Take Action

When working on my speech for city hall, I got a thrill from applying what I’d learned. This time, I just did research—and it felt a bit dull. Next month, I want to actually do something.

#4—Start in the Middle

When starting to write, I began with an introduction. My first draft wasn't so different than what I ended up with, except one thing: it focused solely on the Mayor. And when I tried to write from that, I ended up with a character assassination.

At some point, I asked myself: "Is this really what I want to put out into the world?" Yes, I was discouraged by the Mayor, but what had piqued my curiosity was much bigger.

I decided to start differently: with what I'd learned. Only once I'd written the middle did I go back and revisit the beginning. To my surprise, my first draft worked well—with edits. Once I rewrote it with a focus on misinformation, everything started to gel.

The lesson? Begin in the middle. It's a tip I've heard copywriters espouse. The introduction has to hook the reader and outline the thesis—and it's much easier to do that once you've written the piece.

#5—Do Nothing, Or Write

Writing doesn’t always come easy. For the last few months, I've been trying to create a set of rules to help with that. The most important one is this: during writing time (three hours after I sit down to write), I can write, or I can do nothing. Those are my options.

If I’m tired of writing, I stare out the window. And eventually, given what my options are, writing becomes appealing again.

#6—Condition Creativity

Music helps me condition my mood. My colleagues at Etho know this; while working, I played the same three-hour playlist over and over (as you can imagine, my Spotify Wrapped is super predictable). When those songs come on, I get in the zone.

I decided to use the same tactic with DIY Master's. When I first sit down, I play an atmospheric song with deep overtones; it helps me reflect.

Next, it's a short orchestral piece. Inspired by writers such as Steven Pressfield, I say a little prayer, invoking whomever I can—the universe, nature—for help.

Then, I write. Here, I play two songs—one with energy, the other with longing—on repeat. I write in short sprints; in between, I go back to the songs for reflection and prayer. Most importantly, I never listen to these songs while doing anything else.

I'm not sure if these details are helpful—it's not about the specifics; it's about the practice. Music is one of the most effective ways I know to condition mood. Has anyone else tried it? Let me know if it works for you.

#7—Learn in Public

For this DIY Master's theme, I delayed posting over and over, always feeling as if my work was never good enough. I relayed this to my coach, whom I hired to keep me on track. She gave me excellent advice: learn in public.

When writing about Misinformation, I wanted to be 100% sure of everything I put to paper. But this made me too scared to share my work. I can't become an expert in a few months' time, but I can learn—in public—so others can, too.

#8—There is No 'Doing' Without 'Being' First

Recently, I tried to write while ill, and although I wrote draft after draft, it didn't work out. When I felt better, I tried again. The writing was more bold, buoyant, and beautiful.

The experience reminded me of an interview with writer BJ Novak. Every morning, he spends hours getting in a good mood—with coffee, exercise, etc—before sitting down to write. The energy he brings to his work is the most important thing; the effort is second.

Friends of mine have been reading "A New Earth" by Eckart Tolle, and he echoes a similar point. Tolle says what you do isn't the most important, but "the state of consciousness from which [it comes]." An avid supporter of his, Oprah Winfrey, says this: "There is no 'doing' without 'being' first."

#9—Follow the Path

I've been working on my DIY master's five days a week, and it's prompted some people to ask why. I don't have a good answer—there's no end game; I'm just learning for curiosity’s sake and writing for the joy of it.

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
—Søren Kierkegaard

Lately, “life paths" are a topic my husband and I revisit often. How do we know what steps to take next?

“Life wants the sapling to become a tree, [...] and the sapling is at one with what life wants.”
—Eckart Tolle

I'm a firm believer that intuition needs to be our guide—or, to borrow Jonathan Haidt's metaphor once again—“the elephant.” And if we surrender to our curiosity and joy we'll eventually find ourselves where we need to be.

**

What’s Next

Soon, I’ll be writing a piece for a local climate magazine on the topic of “food.” Seeing as the beef and dairy industry has such a big presence in the Netherlands (where I am now), it’s top of my mind. Not to mention, my husband is addicted to cheese. The title of my notes doc is: “How to convince people (like me) not to eat cows”—let’s see where it leads.

Until next time :) Thank you to all who have read so far. Your comments are inspiring, and your feedback, illuminating.

Keep going.
—Anna