Why I Decided to Create a Daily Blogging Habit
When you’re thinking of quitting, it helps to revisit the reasons why you started.
This is part of a series exploring my experiment with my recent commitment to publish my work daily.
Click here to read Part 1: Should I Quit My Daily Publishing Experiment?
As part of my evaluation of whether to continue to publish daily, I revisited the reasons why I started this experiment in the first place.
The Reasons to Publish “More”
My commitment to publish daily was born from my perceived need to publish “more.” Here are some of the reasons underlying that perceived need:
(1) Clear the Graveyard of Unfinished Work
I write a lot. Sometimes, I think I write too much.
But I often don’t publish.
The volumes of unfinished work weigh on me. Seeing how much I write, and yet how much I don’t publish, triggers feelings of defeat.
Part of my intention was to write less and commit to publishing what I had already written.
(2) Serve Others
All the things I write about — my experiences, the knowledge and wisdom I’ve gained — can help others. But not if they are sitting in the Graveyard.
The only way I can help people through my work is if I share my work. And experts say that the most effective and lasting way to share your work is through writing and publishing.
(3) Create Connection
The desire to create real connection motivates everything I do. I come from a place of service, and I believe that to truly serve most effectively requires a real connection. I want to cultivate a community and foster connection, with others who resonate with what I share.
Experts tell me that the only way to do this is to share your experiences and “put yourself out there” by publishing. Not just once in a while, but consistently.
(4) Raise My Profile
I have a message (a few, actually) that I want to share with the world. I have book ideas. I want to find more public speaking opportunities. I have workshops and programs that I offer, and I want to generate interest in those services.
Experts say that the way to get noticed is by building your platform. And this requires publishing consistently.
(5) Get Out of My Head
I often get stuck in my head as I write, especially when the ideas start flowing. This prevents me from hitting the “publish” button. I start to believe that what I’m writing is not good enough, in any number of ways:
- it’s too long
- it’s too short
- it doesn’t make a point
- it’s too cliché
- it’s too amorphous
- it’s too deep
- it’s too shallow
- etc.
I needed a way to get out of my own way: to embrace imperfection and go with “good enough.”
(6) Improve My Writing
I’ll be honest: this is on the list more as something I set out to test, rather than something motivating my decision to publish.
Writing and publishing are two different practices. I already do a lot of writing, and whether writing daily improves writing is something to consider in a separate discussion about reasons to create a daily writing practice.
That said, there’s a part of me that wondered if perhaps publishing daily would improve my writing by helping me see what resonates with my audience. What topics, what styles, what tone, etc.
Noticing: A Lot of External “Shoulds” in These Reasons
How often do you take the time to physically write down the reasons you are doing something?
I admit that I don’t do this enough. But it’s really valuable. One of the themes that I see popping up in many of these reasons is an underlying belief about what I “should” do to build my platform, find my audience, develop connections, become a better writer, serve others, etc.
I’m clearly buying into the common belief about what is “the right way” to build my visibility and attract my tribe.
For now, I’m not challenging this belief. I am simply noticing it is there. (Trust me, I’ll be challenging it; that will be in a future article.)
How “More Consistently” Became “Daily”
Assuming the beliefs underlying my reasons are true, my reasons seem to support a resolve to publish more consistently.
This has been a struggle for me in the past. I might have months where I publish a lot, and then go weeks without publishing.
To Create a New “Habit,” Build a Ritual Around It
In my model of the world, there’s only one way I know to do something consistently: build a ritual around it.
For some things, that might be designating a certain day of the week. But that hasn’t worked for me with publishing.
I too often get in my own way. See reason 5.
I’ve tried setting a schedule for specific days. But too often, I would negotiate myself out of it with that old “I’ll just publish this one tomorrow when it’s ready.”
But it’s never ready.
And “tomorrow” I’ve got different ideas. Before I know it, the graveyard is filling up.
Remove the Energy Drain Around Negotiating With Myself
I realized that I had to treat publishing like fitness, meditation, journaling, and 10,000 steps a day: find a way to do it no matter what.
Take my fitness practice: I’ve been putting fitness first since August 2013. I haven’t missed a day since I resolved to do it daily. I vary the workout based on how my body feels and what it needs. Some days, my workouts are intense, and other days they are light.But I do some form of fitness first every day, no matter what.
This removes the energy drain of negotiating with myself.
Create A Structure That Removes it From My Task List
Fitness isn’t on my “to-do” list because it’s something I know I’m going to do. The same with journaling, meditation, and hitting my steps. I don’t need to remind myself to do those things because I do them no matter what.
I wanted to remove publishing from my task list in the same way. For me, the only way to do that is to commit to publishing daily, no matter what.
I need this type of structure to force myself to do it.
Of course, one of the common elements of my other dailies is that I’ve found a sustainable way to incorporate those things into my daily life.
So far, daily publishing doesn’t feel sustainable in its current form, and that’s why I’m contemplating quitting. More on that in a future installment.
This is Day 45 of my daily publishing experiment. Thanks so much for being here to follow along. I’d love to hear your comments.