Hey Nate, well spotted, haha… 😅 I guess in this piece I focused on the necessity of stepping away at all, rather than what to do exactly during this time away.

To me, the idea of “sharpening the saw” is to put my mind to things that broaden my perspective or benefit my mind as a writer in any way. Things that I do during my time away, when I don’t produce articles, include:

• watching movies/series
• doodling in my notebook in a coffee shop (one of my favourites)
• going for a walk
• having a “digital fast” for a day or two (although that didn’t happen in a long time…)
• reading
• deep listening to other people

I engage in these things with a background intention that they benefit my writing, but I make it a point not to focus primarily on output . It’s about finding an activity that allows me to expand my perspective, let my mind make new connections, etc. This is what “sharpening the saw” means for me, but I guess it may be very different depending on the person and their craft. So it may be a topic for a whole new post!

Thanks for asking this question. ❤