How do you get in the mood to write your postcards?

I really enjoy sitting at my desk and writing a postcard. However, sometimes I need to coax myself into the mood. I wonder what you do to get in the mood and slow down enough to write.

Here’s what I generally do: I make a cup of tea (Yogi tea’s are my favorite) or cold lemon water in my favorite lidded mason jar with a straw. I am a bit clumsy, so have learned that the lid is necessary for me! I get my Ink Joy ballpoint pens and pull out the envelope of stamps. In the evening, it is nice to light a candle and enjoy the ambiance. What really gets me to sit still and focus is music. I usually listen to jazz or Instrumental hymns on the harp. I also enjoy Jake Westbrook’s channel on YouTube especially his Vintage Travel Music. I wash my hands and watch me go!

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I feel already relaxed just reading you. Such a nice routine!
I normally try to write on the morning, after taking breakfast and with my second cup of coffee. I don’t work on the mornings so I have plenty of time. I see all of my postcards, read once again the profile trying to match the perfect one for each person and then I start writing with the info that they gave me. Maybe because I’m new I’m trying to hard to do it right, but I’m really enjoying it. Good night! :last_quarter_moon_with_face:

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What motivates & excites me most is connecting with new people - so drawing new addresses or making a new swap is what always gets me in the mood to send postcards!

Mostly, if I’m feeling tired or a bit stressed, I break down the tasks & do what I can do at the time.

So tonight, it’s really too late to write postcards, but I decided on the 2 cards I need to send tomorrow, found them in my stash & put the postage & addresses on them and I’ll write them in the morning when I’m fresher & more energetic.

I keep good lists of what I need to send & when & then try & stay on top of the timeframe to send them as much as I can - I find that helps motivate me when I’m feeling tired or overwhelmed with life some days, lol

Some days, usually in the morning, I can whiz through 5 to 10 postcards fairly easily and I hardly notice the time it takes, but not always! lol

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As for me, music helps me much. Without it I can do nothing. I listen to Lara Fabian, Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller - their music is full of magic. Well, I make a big mug of herbal tea with lemon, then I watch some videos and photos how other people decorate their postcards and mails, so this way I get inspired, after that I read once more the profile of person I’m going to send postcard. I try to imagine what kind of person is. It’s very important to me to make person smile when he’ll get my mail. What else, inspiration can come to me very unexpectedly, on the transport, or from the book and I try to keep the idea for next mail.

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I’m fairly good at focusing. So it doesn’t matter the location or whatever else is going on, if I have a chunk of time available to write postcards, I will write the postcards and mentally block out everything else.

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Getting in the mood is usually not my problem, staying in the mood is :stuck_out_tongue:
When I start writing, I easily get distracted. I check instagram, I check facebook, I check a postcrosser’s profile that I happen to encounter, and before you know it, I am writing for half an hour on one single postcard, where I could do it in maybe 10 minutes.
So staying focused is may problem.

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My best getting in the mood for writing is procrastination from something else :woman_shrugging:

The biggest amount of cards I write is while I need to work or clean or sit with my toddler (I sacrifice one of boxes of cards and/or supplies and use others while he’s distracted) :joy:

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I like your username :slight_smile:

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I love writing postcards, I don’t feel like I need a mood for it :slightly_smiling_face: I just need to have some free time to write, so I don’t feel rushed.

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I can’t write cards on work days. That I noticed pretty quickly. There is just so much going on in my head after work that I don’t have mood to focus on writing. So the first thing is to take care it is weekend or holiday! Although, few times I have written card after work too if there has been something special going on like a trade that I should get on way as soon as possible.

Secondly, I am in much better mood after morning walk with dogs. All card writing may wait until that is done.

Thirdly, the kitchen has to be clean. I don’t even see kitchen from where I sit with cards but it gotta be cleaned.

Otherwise there isn’t anything specific. If I am not in mood, then I will just go to do something else. I don’t really want to “trick” myself to do hobbies. It either happens or not, and if I get sidetracked while doing it, that is just part of the process!

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I love to write postcards, am waiting unpatiently for the new addresses and don’t need any special mood.

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Sometimes I write postcards during work.
My work is tiring and writing a postcard is relaxing. So I always get in the mood to write quickly from working.

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THIS. If there are a bunch of projects at college due at once (like right now since the semester’s almost over), I’ll hold off doing them by writing postcards. Not the most productive thing, but it does decrease my stress.

Other than that, I incorporate postcrossing into my morning routine like a habit so it’s something I can generally look forward to when I start the day. If I’m not in the mood to write, I try not to force myself as just scroll through the forum instead

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Hehe, exactly my behaviour! Only that, I it’s not necessarily mornings for me :slightly_smiling_face:

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I work full time Monday to Friday so my time for postcard writing is the weekend. Generally it’s a Saturday morning while my husband plays golf.

I don’t have my own desk at home (yet) so bring lots of supplies from my dressing room where I keep my stash of cards, stamps, washi, stickers etc etc down to the dining table where I indulge in my hobby.

I draw my names from Postcrossing on my iPad or look up the addresses I’ve been sent from a Round Robin depending what is going on in the Postcrossing world for me.

I select one card at a time and match stamps and declarations as I go. I usually have a scented candle burning, a cup of tea to drink and a dog sleeping at my feet.

I generally post my cards either Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning on my dog walk past the local postbox.

I enjoy this process as much, if not more than receiving postcards.

Bliss :pray::love_letter:

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I just put some music on, and try to write something funny :slight_smile:

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Well, I consider it a hobby, but I use it as a creative exercise before I start working (writing) in the mornings. It is very entertaining choosing the best card for every contact… Sometimes I suffer from poor internet connection, so photo upload might be of a burden…

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Well, to get down to writing a postcard I need to calm down first, because I always get really nervous when I find out that I have free space for a postcard!
Then I usually study the profile of the person to whom I need to send the postcard. After that, I usually understand what to write to him, but if not, then I just start, and then he finds inspiration for me.
I would not say that I need a special atmosphere, for me the very writing of the postcard already makes everything special!

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As soon as I have a free slot to send an address that’s when I do it.

The motivation for me is knowing that if I do this I will get a postcard back, from anywhere around the world (or mostly Europe these days thanks to the events of 2020)

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I was immensely motivated by my quarantine situation. :mask: I am now about to leave for some necessary shopping and will post these on the way. Some of them were written last week, but I couldn’t leave the house…

I spend quite a lot of time on my postcards but it is something that calms me down and offers peace. I love it!

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