This week and last painters have been at work in my apartment complex. They're sanding the windows and doors, scraping the walls and power-washing the whole building in preparation for repainting.

It's noisy, dusty and distracting.

I knew I couldn't do my writing work during the hours I'm at my best because I need quiet surroundings to concentrate. But I found a way to rearrange my writing schedule so that I'm still getting my projects done.

Then I started to play a game with myself. I asked myself these questions:

• How would I describe the sounds the painters are making?
• And the smells?
• What ideas best capture how they treated myself and the other tenants (which by the way has been highly professional)?
• How would I talk about how they interacted with each other?
• What words best describe how the other tenants responded to the disruption?
• What does their equipment look like? During the day while they're working? And at night when they stack everything at the back of the building?

What could have been a huge annoyance became (at least for part of the time) a way for me to exercise my word muscle beyond what I would normally do. It was a learning opportunity that pulled me in a direction I would otherwise have ignored.

Are there unusual or unexpected situations in your daily life where you could get new perspectives on your area of expertise even if they don't seem obviously connected to your business? How would you describe them? And how would you talk about them to other people?

And of course, you can always contact me if you'd like feedback on your words.

Email me at Maggie@MyMarketingMessage.com or call me at 805 965 9173 and let's talk.

Copyright 2018 Maggie Dennison