Recently I was able to start the day in a relatively unusual way: By just writing.

It wasn’t for a client. It wasn’t a freelance project. It wasn’t for anything in particular.

It was just pure writing, just for me. I was on the train heading into Chicago and found a groove that lasted the whole trip, a little under an hour. I don’t even think I was listening to anything at the time.

The world just fell away around me for 50-odd minutes and the words came pouring out.

The best part about days like this, which are few and far between, is that they wind up positively impacting the entire rest of the day. I’m more motivated in whatever work I have to do, more energized creatively and more efficient.

It’s that freedom of just writing, not writing *for* something that really makes the difference. It’s not having to worry about character count or audience or anything else. The only person I’m writing for is myself and the only restrictions on it are my own thoughts.

These kinds of days don’t happen often, but when they do they’re magical. If I could bottle the energy I would and sip from it like President Skroob in Spaceballs taking a hit off a can of Perri-Air.

As it is, though, I have to take them when they appear, often without warning.

Chris Thilk is a freelance writer and content strategist who lives in the Chicago suburbs.