Are you ready for an assignment?
If that sentence strikes fear into you, we were likely very similar people at school.
But worry not. This task is no tedious 10,000 word-er on a topic you barely have a shred of interest in.
It's an assignment that will take just 5 minutes daily and could potentially elevate your writing and life forever. You've just got to commit to it.
By spending 5 minutes a day reflecting using the 'Homework for Life' technique, you'll soon be drawing on an endless supply of inspiration and crafting narratives that'll have your audience listening and your life taking on new meaning.
Seriously, this simple technique is a game-changer. I love it, and I hope you'll feel the same.
You’re looking at a 4-minute read.
Let's jump in.
What is Homework for Life?
Created by Matthew Dicks and written about in his book Storyworthy, it's a daily practice he believes not only helps us become better storytellers but better people.
That's a bold claim for 5 minutes a day—one which certainly grabbed my attention.
I must confess that I'm yet to get around to reading the book. However, Matt also has a 2015 Ted Talk on the same subject. It's well worth the 17-minute investment if you can spare it.
Homework for Life is simple.
Every evening, you'll write down a brief story from your day. It should be one or two sentences maximum. Think of it as a concise statement that takes you back to that precise moment from the previous 24 hours.
And there's only one parameter: you can write as many stories as you like, but never zero.
To start, prompt yourself, "What was different today from other days?". Old stories aren't off-limits. You can include them if you see fit. But you must find a story-worthy moment in the day gone by. That's the trick.
It doesn't matter where you jot them down, either. I like to use Notion but use your preferred note-taker and start writing.
Why Should You Introduce Homework for Life Into Your Life?
"Exquisite beauty is often hidden in life's fragile, fleeting moments." –John Mark Green
Life has a unique knack for simply happening to us. It often plays out in our subconscious.
Then, before we know it, 'Poof!', it disappears.
Mark describes life's moments as 'dander in the wind'. Every second presents a moment.
However, we never bother catching them, and inevitably, we lose them forever.
I'm the first to admit that documenting a daily moment feels a little cumbersome at first. You sit down and think, 'Today was like every other Tuesday'. But stick with me here. Write anything down, even if it seems trivial.
The more you do it, the easier it is to get into the swing of things.
And before you know it, you'll begin seeing stories in more and more places. It's a practice that gives you endless moments to write about and reflect on. Furthermore, stories will start to show themselves in your life as they happen.
The more you prime your brain to look for stories, the more you'll sharpen your storytelling lens and begin to see them littered throughout your day.
Life's tiny moments also start to present a pattern of thinking we'd unknowingly miss. Just like a mental model, you'll begin joining the dots and making connections between seemingly unrelated events or ideas. Often revealing a more profound meaning or understanding you might have otherwise let drift off into the sunset.
It allows beauty to appear in the least obvious places, such as in line at the grocery store or on your daily commute to work.
Time Flies When You’re Getting Older
How many times have we heard that?
In fact, I bet you've felt it.
I turn 30 this year, and this has been especially poignant for me.
While I know this is still 'young' in the grand scheme of things, every year seems to pass me by faster than the last.
Despite being only a few weeks into my Homework for Life assignment, it's giving me a greater appreciation of the days that otherwise might have felt like Groundhog Day.
Things are starting to slow down. And I'm connecting new experiences to old memories that I'd have never done before.
"Never lose another day in your life again" is the bold claim used by Mark in his Ted Talk.
Something that is especially pertinent to me, given I've worried that life is otherwise just passing me by.
I'm hooked.
We know storytelling is a powerful way to capture attention and captivate generations. You only have to look at the catalogue created by Walt Disney to see that.
But you don't have to be driving a multi-billion dollar company to see the power of extracting moments from your own life and using them as motivators.
Just 5 minutes a day will do the trick.
It'll give you endless ammunition to write about. Or, allow you to document your days in a way that helps you to pull a deeper sense of wonder and meaning from them.
So whether you're a budding writer or just someone looking for life not just to happen, let Homework for Life be the alarm clock that stops you from sleepwalking your way through another 24 hours.
Happy storytelling.
Speak again soon,
Jack