500 Words a Week - What writing has taught me
I’ve been writing 500 words a week for almost two and a half years. What I started writing about has changed significantly to what I like to write about now. I began writing the blog because as with many fields, S&C is a lot about who you know or better yet who knows you. So, I figured sharing some of my ideas around training and S&C would be beneficial in this regard. However, the blog quickly began to turn into something different. I began writing about topics including self-development, mental health and trying to deal with uncertainty.
“It's not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write.” - Steven Pressfield
That’s a slightly paraphrased quote that expands to more than just writing. Compare that to getting up early to go for a run or go to the gym. Once you begin running or your gym session, it feels great, but the getting up out of bed early was the hardest part.
Consistency trumps motivation. If you know every week that you have to write 500 words and you have made a commitment to do it, it’ll be easier than just relying on motivation. If you have made a deal with yourself that you’re going to gym on certain days, just focus on going and doing something, rather than thinking ‑ this must be the best workout you’ve ever done.
This links in with another aspect of habit formation, condense whatever you’re trying to do into a minimal point. For example, you want to start the habit of reading every day, so you say I’m going to read 10 pages a day. Sometimes life gets in the way, but we will always have 2 minutes to spare. Rather than reading 10 pages a day, read 1 page. This is the same process for writing. I don’t put pressure on myself to finish a piece in one sitting. Sometimes I’m happy with just sitting down, getting word open and writing “500 words a week” on the top of the page.
Dealing with rejection. There are a few ways I judge how successful a blog was, firstly how many people viewed the blog post. Secondly, was there much interaction with the post. Some blogs do well, others go down like a sack of potatoes. I’ve got a few things from this process. Do what makes you happy. Writing this blog every week makes me happy, I enjoy it. It helps me sort my thoughts out and clarify my thinking on many topics. If you pursue anything in life, pursue or do what makes you happy and brings you joy. Don’t worry about what others think. If you constantly associate your self-worth with results, you’ll struggle through the hard times.
Follow your interests. As mentioned above this blog began with me writing around topics relating to S&C and training. I still write or reference aspects of this now, but they are rarely the focus of the blog. Be open to pursuing other aspects of life.
