10 Things Poets & Writers Can Do with the Small Moments

Reclaiming the Small Moments

It’s the small moments that lure us into random phone scrolling.

If there’s not enough time to dive into a big project, we can easily get tempted to hop onto social media, check our email, maybe go window shopping online. After all, we have to leave in 10 minutes. Or we’re stuck in line somewhere. Or maybe we’re waiting for someone.

These small moments add up.

What if we reclaimed them for our creativity? What new art might bubble up? Or, what new life directions?

10 Things Writers & Poets Can Do with the Small Moments

1 • Scribble a quick free writing

Free writing is easy to do, even on a scrap piece of paper. Maybe especially on a scrap piece of paper. Just write for up to 15 minutes straight without pause.

I did go ahead and do a found poem from the free writing. This isn’t necessarily the point of free writing. But it can be.

Free writing

Finding ~~~

treasure
scintillating

for a few minutes

freeing
a piece of

me

2 • Make a word map

The word map can be for a creative project, a problem we’re trying to solve, or something that’s been worrying us (and therefore sapping our creative energy.)

Put the main idea in the central circle, and then fan out from there with related thoughts.

3 • Copy out a good poem—or memorize a favorite line

There are lots of really good poems at Every Day Poems. Or pull a book from a shelf and page through. Copy some lines, or memorize a line.

Here are some fun printables if you want to memorize Prufrock.

4 • Jot some random poem titles

These poem titles were from the back porch. Maybe yours will be from the front porch. Or from the grocery line.

5 • Make a quick list of cool images (visual, auditory, taste, texture, or scent)

Images aren’t just visual, though the ones below are. You can also do tastes, sounds, textures, scents!

6 • Sketch a brief outline for an article—that’s how this article came into being!

While waiting to go pick someone up from work, 10 minutes of waiting became 10 minutes of creating a quick outline. And look! Here we are!

7 • Create an idea doodle

There is no need to create a good idea. This is just a doodle. Who knows what might surface if you try.

8 • Make a phone blanket with an “I’d rather be” note—or, just do the thing you’d rather be doing

We can put our phones down for a nap, complete with a “blanket” that serves as a reminder of what we’d rather be doing.

Check out these little blankets that Bethany Rohde made for her phone…

9 • Add a vocabulary word to your repertoire—maybe even a word from a different language

Keep a vocabulary-building dictionary on the counter or in the car. You could also keep a language learning resource on hand. Got a minute or 10? See if you can discover some new words and try to express yourself using those words.

10 • Clear your mind and expand your soul by practicing a brief Awe moment

It doesn’t take long to lean into Awe, and it’s been found that engaging in quick-leans can be as effective as a full-out meditation practice.

Try it when you have down-time you might otherwise dedicate to phone scrolling. See the difference for your soul.

(Just gotta scroll? Try learning about art history at Anthropeum.)

The Small Moments Quick Guide

Illustrations and baubles photos by L.L. Barkat. Phone blankets by Bethany Rohde.

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L.L. Barkat

L.L. Barkat is the Managing Editor of Tweetspeak Poetry and the author of seven books for grown-ups and four for children, including the popular 'Rumors of Water: Thoughts on Creativity & Writing.' Her poetry has appeared on the BBC and at NPR, VQR, and The Best American Poetry.

Latest posts by L.L. Barkat (see all)

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