Summer "break" is a trap.

Dear fellow stenographers, Phoenix Theorists, and Phoenix Deniers,

For those of you who are in school as I am, you may be currently enjoying a whole month off. This phenomenon may commonly be referred to as the "Summer Break", "August Break", or "Summer Vacation". I'm here to warn you that these are really just euphemisms for something much darker.

Much like a musical instrument, steno is not something you can neglect, especially during your school years. If you miss a day of practice, YOU ARE SAILING INTO DISASTER. Daily practice is essential to developing muscle memory, fast reflexes, and maintaining those precious neural pathways that you have carved out of previous practice.

It is so discouraging to sit down at your machine after a day or two of not practicing and realizing how rusty you are. What's worse is that you will have to redouble your efforts in order to build back up to the speed you had previously achieved and have now lost. That can be very stressful, especially if you have tests coming up, since you cannot know how long it will take to get back on track. Maybe you won't. Maybe you'll get discouraged and drop out. What are you going to do about it?

There is no such thing as taking a break from steno if you want to be the best you can be. But you will see that writing at your machine is so much more enjoyable when you are doing well than when you are struggling. For this reason, see practice as an omnipresent thing in your life. Get a Briefcatcher, and bring it with you everywhere you go. I practice on the subway, on planes, at the cottage, and anywhere else I happen to be. Record your own drills or write down your hesitation briefs and keep them with your Briefcatcher so that you have something to practice. If you're going to indulge in watching TV or a movie, you better write to it! Don't waste the opportunity of working on your endurance! When else are you going to get two full hours of practice? You'll feel so much better the next day not having to make up for wasted time.

So why let your blood, sweat, and tears go to waste? Get your daily practice, and feel how much faster and accurate you become at every session.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

The Steno Duchess