LatestHabits21 August 2026
The first hour belongs to you
Most of us hand over the best thinking of the day before we have made a single decision about it. Here is what changed when I stopped.
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Essays, notes and reading
A small blog about craft, attention and the work of making things
6 pieces published so far.
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Craft4 min read
Start on paper
Screens are wonderful for finishing things and terrible for beginning them. A defence of the messy first draft, drawn by hand.
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Workspace6 min read
Build a room that lets you think
Your workspace is a set of instructions you give yourself every morning. Most of us have written them by accident.
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Thinking4 min read
Walk the problem
When a piece of work stalls, the answer is almost never on the screen you are staring at.
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About
Fieldnote is written by Mara Ellison.
Mara writes about focus, craft and the small habits that make creative work sustainable. She has spent twelve years editing long-form features and now publishes here twice a month.
Mara Ellison — Writer and editor