How I make time to write
on 'little treat culture' & a big discount to sign up for a Hyphen membership
Every now and then I offer a big discount to become a paid member of The Hyphen. I’m offering a 70% discount for a few hours. Peeking behind the paywall to read all the articles and comment section is the best part of this newsletter. Just £20 for the whole year (it’s usually £65).
I’m currently writing to you from a pretty incredible location: the Bibliothèque nationale de France — a library in Paris that was founded in 1368 and opened to the public in 1692. I gasped when I walked in. It is truly breathtaking: the beautiful curved architecture, the vast manuscript collection, the silence, the sight of many people quietly working away. The only sounds I can hear are shoes on the ground and pens scratching on paper. This is one of the (many) reasons I love Substack, as it was someone here that recommended this hidden gem to me.
Whenever I’m finishing a first draft of a book, I try and give myself some kind of ‘treat.’ These treats have ranged in size over the years. Sometimes it’s simply taking myself to my favourite coffee shop, or using a special bath bomb. Sometimes it’s a chocolate brownie. (From memory, Natalie Goldberg writes in Writing Down the Bones about how she bribes herself with two cookies from her favourite café when she needs to meet a writing deadline.)
This time, however, I have taken myself to Paris. Okay, quite a big treat. But writing books is hard, long, and arduous and you don’t really get any sense of reward until it’s done. I need to submit my draft soon. I believe some romanticisation helps when it comes to gently coaxing our creativity to work with us. Perhaps it’s a lovely notepad, a well-made fountain pen, or a favourite mug for our tea. Sometimes I get my nails done so my hands look nicer when I type. Sometimes we need some help to get in the mood. A nice treat can be the little pep talk we need.
(Author’s note: I don’t love the word ‘treat’ in the sense of ‘guilty treat’ or giving the thing itself a sense of morality—I don’t think a treat is either good or bad. For the purpose of this article, let’s consider it neutral—just ‘a nice thing’.)
Apparently there is such a thing as ‘little treat culture’: when times are hard, we sometimes opt for those little things that can give us a boost. A matcha latté, something from Whole Foods, a new top, £2 daffodils. According to Food&Wine magazine: Gen Z is apparently defined by its so-called “little treat culture”: these small purchases and sweet moments to fend off the general malaise of the current moment.” I don’t blame them.
Speaking of treats, I once listened to a podcast by a well-known life coach who was always encouraging people to allow themselves treats—within reason—before (not after) a big work project. Sometimes, she said, the treat can give us energy and incentive to keep going. That’s not something we hear often, is it? We’re always told to treat ourselves after we’ve completed the task, as a ‘well done, you’. The coach said giving yourself a treat before the hard task is finished means you are actually topping yourself up with energy. You are deserving of the nice thing anyway. When we give ourselves a nice little treat, we can power ourselves up. In fact, the restful stillness can fuel the project. Why wouldn’t you want to take a bubble bath before tackling a challenging project? Or the long walk to get your favourite coffee? Or a nice swim at a local club? It doesn’t always need to be the reward.
Does giving ourselves a nice treat actually help with productivity? Professor David Spiegel, director of the Center on Stress and Health at Stanford University, told SELF magazine: “In terms of the science of it all, yes, getting a little treat does ‘work’. When you receive a reward or feel a sense of accomplishment, your brain releases the “happy hormone”—which not only sparks pleasure and satisfaction but also motivates you to pursue that feeling again [..] and can help “reinforce” productive behaviours.” It’s worth mentioning that Dr. Spiegel also encourages us to rethink what a treat means to us: the “little treat” he most looks forward to during the workday is “getting outside for a walk, feeling the sun and fresh air, and listening to the birds.” Love that.
In any case, Paris is my (big) little treat. I’m nearly finished with the first draft of a new project. I’m editing my manuscript in this beautiful location. What a treat indeed.
Over the past two years, this newsletter has become a bigger part of my job. To really get the most from this newsletter, it’s worth upgrading. Recently, I’ve posted tons to my paid subscribers: a creativity retreat announcement. A thread about everyday creativity. Travel diaries. Book recommendations. A round-up of interesting links (via my most popular regular feature The Sunday Scroll.)
Every month or so I do a little experiment and offer a discount so you can upgrade and receive all the best bits, if you want to take advantage and jump in. For a few hours, I’m offering you 70% off — that’s under £20 for the whole year. If you do join and want to say hello, please do introduce yourself here! I love reading them!) We connect weekly about well-being, writing, and doing work we love. It’s my favourite corner of the Internet and I’d love to invite you in.
Thank you
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