Anyone out there who feels like you're being shredded by all of the interruptions in your life,

if you want refuge from that, this is a great way to sit down and write engages you and your attention in a way that is,

even if you don't write anything that is terribly profound, it is a safe harbor from the constant pelting of the rest of the world.

Welcome to how to. I'm Amanda Ripley. If you're a regular listener of this show, you might

have noticed that there are a couple of universal pieces of advice that come up again and again.

One is to practice rhythmic breathing.

In fact, we just heard about this again on our last episode on finding your voice.

It's just the most proven way to calm yourself down anytime you're under stress.

And that one I've been doing for years.

But the other piece of go-to can't-fail advice is to write or journal.

Write about the argument you just had with your partner, write about your regrets, write something every day.

And yet, even as someone who writes professionally, I just can't get into a regular practice of writing personally.

I know I should be doing it.

Studies show that writing can help you sleep better,

boost your IQ, even strengthen your immune system.

It's incredible.

So how do people get into the habit of doing it

in addition to everything else they're supposed to do?

For that, we're turning to two very talented and very busy people who manage to write every day.

I am John Dickerson, a political reporter and author of nonfiction books,

and I work at CBS News and write for the Atlantic.

Hi, my name is Anna Quinlan. I started life as a reporter, became a columnist, went from there to being a novelist, and also do some nonfiction work.

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