On January 1, 2012 I made a rod for my own back. And just for this post, I’m not going to investigate that metaphor (although I could ask, what rod is that rod?). That rod was, in fact, the resolution that I would write one post for every day of the year.
I have managed to stick to that resolution – even when I was suffering from food poisoning – and only on a couple of occasions have I recycled posts I wrote last year; but even then I’ve added something new.
This daily commitment is sometimes the cause of minor stress – but only when I don’t seem to have the time I would like to dedicate to it, rather than any lack of inspiration. In fact, I usually have several ideas about what I’m going to write, but when I actually sit down at my keyboard, my fingers often travel a different path, following connections that my brain makes in the moment.
The decision to create a blog and update it daily was inspired by Chris Guillebeau, creator of the brilliant blog The Art of Nonconformity, aimed at those who are dissatisfied with conventional beliefs and want to do something remarkable with their lives.
If you click here you can download his manifesto, entitled 279 Days to Overnight Success, which offers 11,000 words of free advice about how to create your own success with your own project, with particular reference to bloggers and writers.
In it he emphasises the importance of keeping to a writing schedule – because so many bloggers start off with the best of intentions but then allow their blogs to wither away.
He says: “I know if I missed a day and nothing happened, then it would be much easier to miss another day. Pretty soon I wouldn’t have much of a schedule, and then I’d have less motivation. It’s a downward spiral that I want to avoid, so I keep the schedule sacred.”
I love this idea of sacred schedules. I think that because many of us become bogged down in stress-making deadlines, schedules and timelines in our survival-dance day jobs we don’t like to think of schedules when it comes to doing the work we love. But as Chris says, unless you set aside dedicated time to produce your art, the art will not get made.
To keep making the art when it doesn’t feel as much fun, you need some kind of structure in place – and that applies to any form of art or creativity, not just blogging. The way I like to frame it is this: writing on a daily basis is my spiritual practice. For you it might be mindfulness or meditation, but for me it is writing.
Think about what you’d really love to do but don’t seem to have time for. Then tell yourself a new story about sacred schedules and spiritual practice. And let me know if that stiffens your resolve, if you’ll pardon the metaphor…
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