Welcome to ScratchNotes. Each week, I share one idea about creativity and brand building so you can take inspired action.

5:20 AM
Austin, TX

The birds in my phone start chirping. The warm light next to my bed flicks on.

Time to wake up.

I start with my morning pages (3 pages of stream of consciousness journaling), then slip into the first workout set I can grab from my dresser.

I didn’t see myself as a 6:15am pilates girl…but here we are.

I told myself I’d try this for 1 month, then reassess.

I’m in the experimentation phase of developing a new routine for this season.

Over several years, I built consistency jogging to my 7:15am classes 5x a week.

This past October, I bumped up to 6x by adding Saturday mornings.

It completed my metamorphosis from a night owl to a morning lark, including weekends.

October also marked 12 months post surgery and post FTE.

For an entire year I turned inward, leaning into parts I’d previously neglected.

I reclaimed cooking…which I’d largely outsourced in the name of productivity.

I spent time gardening and creative writing…which led to content creation, teaching workshops, and starting a book club.

My focus shifted from outcome metrics set by other people’s goals:

“Did we achieve X revenue goal?”
“Did we increase conversions to X% ?”

To process metrics for my own creative goals:

“Did I get my walk in today?”
“Did I write my pages today?”

What I've come to accept is this:

you cannot do your best work if you're living a fragmented life.

The goal is to integrate what energizes you with your creative output.

Maybe you’ve kept a diet.
Completed a 75 hard challenge.
Abstained from alcohol.
Started a new hobby.

Eventually you start adding more to your plate again.

That’s when you see what new habits stick.

My new commute is showing me what I value: workouts, walks, writing, and cooking with my husband.

Those things fuel my creativity, so I make choices to protect them (even when it means waking up earlier to workout).

5:20 doesn’t feel like a sacrifice. It feels like alignment.

Because integration isn't a one-time decision.

It's who you choose to be every day.

We’re reading The Way of Integrity over the next 11 weeks.

If you’re looking for a reset, this is the book to read.

It’s about “discovering, speaking, and living the truth about who you are” according to Elizabeth Gilbert.

Check out the syllabus and meet up schedule.

Our first meet up is next Monday, April 20, when we’ll discuss the first chapter.

Join us!

April · W2 | Q2 W2

Last week I asked how Amazon numbers the weeks in a month or quarter, especially when they start on a Wednesday. Turns out, they number by week of the year. Smart. Today starts Week 16.

I’ve used an A5 dotted journal for the last 7 years. It gives me a sense of creative freedom, whereas lines make me feel boxed in. This is the journal I use. It’s 300 blank pages and gets me through a full year.

I’m halfway through reading The Joyful Flow Formula (written by Lieve who’s in the Book Club!) One section covers time tracking to get better at estimating how long things take so you can make better planning decisions. It’s been an amazing tool for managing expectations as I onboard to a new role.

I made my own Hatch alarm using my iPhone and automated lights. Birds wake me up and my Kasa smart plug automatically turns the nightlight on. This plus a slow morning ritual to start the day is chef’s kiss.

Reply and tell me: What routines or resets are you testing? I’d love to know!

-Annabel

P.S. There’s still time to join the Book Club. Here is the syllabus. Our first meetup is next week.

P.P.S. This is the second newsletter I’ve written with my new dictation workflow. I spoke my first draft on my commute, then edited that into what you read today. Try this workflow for yourself.