National Word Nerd Day

National Word Nerd Day with a pair of glasses and an open bookYesterday was National Word Nerd Day. I missed posting about it because I was too busy celebrating. Here are three ways I honored my linguistic skills:

🤓 I picked my 2026 Word of the Year: Clarity. Clarity is so essential in messaging, copywriting, and storytelling because words matter. To that end, I continue to offer my clients web copy, email marketing campaigns, blog posts, and more that are free from jargon and speak directly to their target audience in a way that resonates. Clarity is also what I continue to work on in my professional and personal life. But that is a post for another day.

📅 I bought myself a desk calendar titled 365 New Words A Year. Each day highlights a different word, its definition, origin, and an example in a sentence. There is also some fun trivia, which I always enjoy. Honestly, only a word nerd like me would geek out about this little gift.

(Side note: The word for January 7th was collude: to work together secretly, especially to do something illegal or dishonest. Given the national events of that day, I wonder if this calendar is a little psychic too.)

🧩 I start every day with coffee and the NYT games app. Yesterday, I got the Wordle in 5 guesses (it was a hard one!); did the Crossword in 20 minutes; and the Mini Crossword in a minute and a half. I love word games. In the old days, I was great at Boggle, and Scrabble remains a personal favorite. As a writer, doing these puzzles makes for the perfect warm-up to my day.

Did you choose your word of the year? What is it?

Shop Talk and A Big Splurge

When I am with other writers, we can easily fall into conversations that may bore other people to tears.

First person vs. third person

Active vs. passive voice

Who vs. whom

And don’t even get us started on em dashes vs. AI. We could be here all night!  (Ok here it is the truth—human beings use em dashes. They are not a dead giveaway that something is written by Chat GPT.)

Thank you for your attention to this matter. 😊

Are you asleep yet? I’m just getting started.

What is your favorite book about writing?

Easy – Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

What is your preferred brand of pen?

Writers often have a favorite brand, make, and model of pen. Mine is the Pentel R.S.V.P Ballpoint Pen in fine point, preferably blue ink. My second favorite pen is the official swag item for Red Pen Resources, my writing business. They are really nice. Let me know if you want one.

What have you splurged on recently that no one else would understand?

Recently, I stopped in a local stationery shop and had an in-depth conversation with the manager about the Blackwing pencils. He was quite knowledgeable and told me about other customers who rave about them. But I didn’t have to take his word for it. He had several samples on full display complete with clean, crisp sheets of white paper to test drive them. I had heard about these fancy pencils before, but never tried them for myself. How could I resist?

But, a pencil is a pencil, right? What is the big deal?

But, I was wrong. Oh baby was I wrong.

Blackwing pencils are the chef’s kiss of luxury pencils—made in Japan with premium graphite and wood to create the perfect writing instrument. Beautiful craftsmanship with an iconic look and a comfortable grip. It also has its own pencil sharpener and replaceable erasers, sold separately, of course. But, I didn’t get carried away.

I spent about 15 minutes scribbling these beauties on the notepad, enjoying the experience and made a decision. No Dixon Ticonderoga #2 pencils from grade school for me. I splurged on a set of Blackwing Pearl pencils, and I’m not even sorry.

My Advice

First, feel free to use em dashes.

Second, buy the fancy pencils (or whatever tool in your line of work that is worth the splurge).

Finally, find a community of people who get why you love what you do and are willing to read about it to the end of the blog post. 😉

What have you splurged on for yourself lately? Are you willing to share in the comments?

XO

Elisa

I Collect Productivity Apps For Fun

Multicolored post-it notes with lots of to-dosToday, I had an A-HA moment. It came to me as a result of my 2026 theme: using my time wisely and applying that theme to my business. And now, I have my first goal for the new year.

But First…

I’m a sucker for all kinds of productivity tools. And just when I thought I had heard of them all, another one came to my attention this morning. Something called Capacity. I listened to a podcaster sing its praises and vow to stick with this tool all year instead of buying the next shiny new thing.

Usually, I would fall into the trap of finding it online, checking out its features, and impulsively signing up for a free trial or a monthly subscription to give it a try. From there, I’d create a profile, add some information to get me started, and within a week, forget it even existed. Too often, I’d forget to uncheck the automatic monthly renewal box, making this whole exercise not only a waste of time but also money.

Meanwhile, I had already signed up for tools that can produce the same results. They are just sitting there like a neglected gym membership. I haven’t invested enough time and energy into them. But guess what they do have…my hard-earned money.

My A-HA Moment

While reviewing my 2025 expenses, my third-highest expense was subscriptions to business tools like HoneyBook, Todoist, LinkedIn Premium, and others. I invested in these tools to streamline admin tasks, enhance productivity, and make my life easier. Third. Highest. Right behind coffee dates and networking events.

Here’s the thing… I use these tools every day for high-level tasks, but I’m not taking advantage of all their bells and whistles. For instance, I use HoneyBook for its CRM, business templates, and money-management system. I love it! However, I’m not using it to the fullest extent. It has an entire section for capturing leads that has gone untouched. I have access to up to 10 live lead forms and have only used one to date. There are also automations for common tasks that I’ve never explored.

Another tool I use daily but have barely scratched the surface of all the capabilities is Todoist. It has advanced task management, filters, automations and customizations.

I’m currently using it as an ongoing to-do list, and not a very comprehensive one. Basically, I’m paying $5/month for a satisfying little ding sound when I complete a project.

See what I’m saying?

What Now?

So what is the answer? Do I unsubscribe and start over? That would be silly and a little overdramatic.

Instead, I’m doubling down. Each month, I’m taking time to learn what each of these tools offer and applying what I know to make the most of them—or canceling/downgrading my subscription.

Now the questions is where to start. Since it is the beginning of a new year, I think it makes the most sense to start with Todoist. Admittedly, I have my tasks spread out either on paper, post-it notes, or emails, and they all are living rent-free in my head. I’m sure I can save a lot of time and energy if I learn to use this tool effectively. And that would be time well spent. I’ll keep you posted on how I’m doing.

Are there business tools you’ve invested in, but haven’t used to their full extent? And if you use this Todoist, I’d love to hear your thoughts and recommendations.

XO,
Elisa

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