Okay, let me tell you how this daily sketch habit started for me and why I stuck with it. Back in January, I noticed my brain felt kinda fried after staring at screens all day. A buddy mentioned trying quick sketches to “unplug,” but honestly, it sounded like extra work to me.
The First Week: Awkward Lines & Annoyance
I dug out an old notebook and a ballpoint pen – figured fancy tools didn’t matter for this test. Day one, I spent ten whole minutes trying to draw my coffee mug. Looked like a deformed potato. Got super annoyed and almost quit right there. But I promised myself I’d do just three minutes a day, no more.
- Days 2-4: Stuck to stupid simple stuff: a fork, my house keys, a banana. Still looked terrible. Felt pointless.
- Day 5: Forced myself to sketch while waiting for laundry. Did my messy bookshelf in three minutes flat. Didn’t look like Picasso, but huh… the clutter on paper felt satisfying somehow.
- Day 7: Woke up anxious about a work thing. Grabbed the notebook and just scribbled wavy lines while brainstorming. Didn’t fix the problem, but my shoulders relaxed a bit.
Sticking With It: The Messy Middle
After a month, I didn’t hate it anymore. Kept that dumb pen and notebook on my kitchen table as a reminder. Sometimes I’d forget and do it at 11 PM watching TV – quick sketch of my dog sleeping or the weird lamp. The rule was: No judging, just put pen on paper.
Slowly, weird things happened:
- Benefit #1: Brain Dump Magic That morning anxiety chatter? Scribbling a crappy tree or my half-eaten toast gave my thoughts somewhere to go besides circling my skull.
- Benefit #2: Noticing Stuff Had to sketch my running shoes one day. Actually looked at them for once – the worn tread, how the laces looped. Felt more connected to ordinary things than I had in years.
- Benefit #3: Ideas Got Less Scary Started doodling boxes and arrows for work stuff. Ugly, yeah. But seeing a messy version of an idea on paper made it feel easier to fix than when it was just buzzing in my head.
Where I’m At Now
Five months in, I still suck at drawing. Seriously. But who cares? It takes me 3-10 minutes most days. Sometimes I just draw circles. The big win? It feels like hitting a mental reset button. Cheaper than therapy, faster than meditation apps. My advice? Grab whatever pen is lying around and draw the first dumb thing you see. Right now. Give yourself permission for it to be ugly. Do it tomorrow too. That’s the whole secret.