Egging myself on is a reliable way to ensure I delve deeply into the ideas my intentional self wants to think through. I’m prone to short, targeted bouts of writing otherwise — especially during weeks off from teaching. The perks of embracing the wider side of stationery life.

One of the perks of having a sizable pen collection is rediscovering what I enjoy about pens I already own. A dopamine kick without a new purchase. That feeling of “oh now I recall why I really like this” that follows escaping my rut of choosing the same pens over and again.

I pulled six pens with demure colorways and narrow nib sizing for this week’s return to a currently inked sextet. Blacks and greys, a murky, metallic blue, and rose gold. And used a six-sided dice to choose one.

Scanning my penvelope unveiled an a-ha moment: I’m digging all seven of my pen-and-ink pairings. The coming week is therefore dubbed a commitment week. A week for writing my already-inked pens down to empty.