Writing every day for 365 days

This project was aborted (i.e. the Project was stopped before completion.) See my conclusion.

Challenge definition #

I have decided to commit myself and take my writing to the next level. The challenge is: 365 days of writing every day.

No off-days. No excuses.

This challenge was inspired by Andy: CHALLENGE: Start a 365 Day Project and a this more in-depth podcast episode.

Intent #

I want to get better at writing. Doing something every day is a very effective way of getting better at something.

I have a vision of this website in my mind that I want to bring to life. That requires a lot of writing. I want to spend this time working through my huge backlog of articles and build traction for this site.

I thoroughly enjoyed writing my thesis in uni and have known since that I want to make this practice a regular part of my life.

Definition of Writing #

I am a person that needs clear rules. Uncertainty about what I can and can’t do leads me to indecision and abusing loopholes.

• §1 Writing means writing something that will be used on this website.
• §2 The minimum is one usable paragraph. It does not matter if the paragraph ends up being used. The intention should be that it will be. A note or rough draft does not count.
  • a) Process-appropriate translation work is a suitable alternative. The minimum for translation is a whole article.
  • b) Late-stage editing is another alternative. The minimum for editing is bringing an article from the editing phase to publication.
• §3 Writing needs to happen on some article that is in the pipeline, not just: “Oh yeah, I wrote this note that will become an article later.”

Daily log #

This is the log, of what I wrote each day.

1. Wrote this article.
2. Finished writing Eat the frog, edit and translate it. Started writing The Inner Game review.
3. Continued writing and editing The Inner Game review^🇩🇪.
4. Started writing on a post about vulnerability.
5. Wrote first version of the Neurostreams quick reference guide.
6. Wrote & published the coupons essay in German.
7. Put finishing touches on coupons. Started on Neurostreams review.
8. Wrote & published Minimeal review^🇩🇪. Updates to Selling SOIL^🇩🇪.
9. Started on Jim Rohn review.
10. Finished the Jim Rohn person review.
11. Continued writing the Neurostreams review.
12. Final version of the Neurostreams quick reference guide. Translated it as well.
13. Translated the coupons essay.
14. Some corrections, reworked and expanded the intermittent fasting review.
15. Collect sources for intermittent fasting, add maintenance paragraph to air purifier.
16. Continue on Neurostreams review.
17. Continue on Neurostreams review.
18. 🙁
19. Started on waves essay.
20. Continued on waves essay.
21. Wrote my now page.
22. Make headway on Neurostreams review.
23. Editing first half of the Neurostreams review.
24. Add buying guide and do some editing on Neurostreams quick reference guide.
25. Write introduction to challenges.
26. Edit first half of Neurostreams review.
27. Continue editing/rewriting Neurostreams review a little.
28. Write first draft of No interrupting.
29. Finish editing the second half of the Neurostreams review.
30. Final edits and publishing of Neurostreams review.
31. Write first draft of donating blood review^🇩🇪.
32. Finish donating blood analysis^🇩🇪. Write offer technical evaluation. Translate first half of Neurostreams review.
33. Translate the second half of Neurostreams review.
34. Small addition to no interrupting.
35. Start project article about entrepreneurship.
36. Expand the project article about entrepreneurship in scope.
37. Significantly expand no interrupting essay.
38. Started writing on Trading on Coporate Earnings review.
39. Significantly expand no interrupting essay.
40. Wrote a little on the entrepreneurship article.
41. Wrote a little on no interrupting.
42. Started writing on Trading on Coporate Earnings review.
43. Expanded & edited a good chunk of no interrupting.
44. Greatly expanded the Trading on Coporate Earnings review.
45. Finish and publish Trading on Coporate Earnings review.
46. Expand Trading on Coporate Earnings review. Update german SOIL selling guide.
47. Final edits on no interrupting.
48. Wrote first half of trampoline jumping review.
49. Wrote second half of trampoline jumping review.
50. Final editing on trampoline jumping review.
51. Publish trampoline review. Publish no interrupting.
52. Start writing AWS review.
53. Continued writing AWS review.
54. Published AWS review.
55. Start writing essay on how to be miserable.
56. Continue how to be miserable. Start writing article on changing internet providers.
57. Continue writing on changing internet providers.
58. Write a tiny bit more on changing internet providers.
59. Edit and restructure changing internet providers article.
60. Publish changing internet providers. Correct mistakes on 3 articles. Slightly expand AWS review.
61. Structure and start writing on GbR project.
62. Continue on GbR project.
63. Write a little on GbR project.
64. Continue on GbR project. Write FYRST review^🇩🇪.
65. Describe learnings of this challenge. Write the 1. Newsletter.
66. Continue a little on GbR project.
67. Continue write the GbR project.
68. Write an essay on negating commands.
69. Write on technical documentation project.
70. Write a little on GbR project.
71. Rules are there as a guide to push you in the right direction. If a rule does not push you in the right direction, it’s not a rule it’s an impediment. – I’m just tired after preparing and driving all day. I could get my one paragraph in, as I did yesterday, but it was and would be sub par.
72. Start NLP23 review.
73. 📚 🧑‍🎓 Full day at NLP Seminar
74. 📚 🧑‍🎓
75. 📚 🧑‍🎓
76. 📚 🧑‍🎓
77. 📚 🧑‍🎓
78. 📚 🧑‍🎓
79. 📚 🧑‍🎓
80. Continue NLP23 review. Start writing hypnosis for coaching.
81. Continue NLP23 review.
82. 🤒 Sick
83. 🤒
84. 🤒
85. 🤒
86. 🤒
87. 🤒
88. 🤒
89. Continue NLP23 review.
90. Continue NLP23 review.
91. 🤒
92. 🤒
93. 🙁
94. Continue NLP23 review.
95. Write newsletter #2.
96. Finish up writing NLP23 review. Start Oladance open ear review.
97. Finish up editing Oladance open ear review.
98. Write newsletter signup texts.
99. Rework and improve collect website feedback.
100. Translate und update now.
101. Start newsletter #3.
102. Publish newsletter #3.
103. Continue on technical documentation project.
104. Continue on technical documentation project.
105. 🙁
106. 🙁
107. 🙁
108. 🙁
109. Continue on technical documentation project.
110. Continue on technical documentation project.
111. Continue hypnosis for coaching.
112. 🙁
113. 🙁
114. Start 20 Days in Mariupol review.
115. Start on 720 Degree bottle review.
116. Start newsletter #4.
117. Start on article about what NLP is.
118. Continue on article about what NLP is. Add to NLP Practioner review. Finish 20 Days in Mariupol review.
119. Write page about AI usage. Finish and translate newsletter #4.
120. Continue on what is NLP.
121. 🙁
122. 🙁
123. Continue on technical documentation project.
124. 🙁
125. Start essay about barefoot shoes.
126. Write essay about “I don’t have time”.
127. 🙁
128. Start newsletter #5.
129. Continue newsletter #5. Publish translated Neurostreams review
130. 🙁
131. Continue newsletter #5.
132. Publish newsletter #5.
133. 🙁
134. Start stock market strategy^🇩🇪.
135. Finish stock market strategy^🇩🇪.
136. Update Minimeal and John Rohn review. Publish newsletter #6.
137. 🙁
138. Update challenges. Update NLP23 Review ^🇩🇪 .
139. 🙁
140. Finish What is NLP?
141. Work on GbR project.
142. Start newsletter #7.
143. Write newsletter #7. Write Naming the newsletter.
144. Publish newsletter #7.
145. 😐
146. 😐
147. 😐
148. 😐
149. 😐
150. 😐
151. Update changing internet providers project.
152. 😐
153. 😐
154. Start time-tracking guide.
155. 😐
156. 😐
157. 🤒
158. 🤒
159. 🤒
160. 😐
161. Start rewrite and restructure of now and about pages.
162. Write and publish digitizing papers project.
163. Continue now rewrite.
164. Continue time-tracking guide.
165. 😐
166. Write and publish newsletter #8. Publish updated now. Start year recap.
167. Continue year recap.
168. 😐
169. 😐
170. 😐
171. 😐
172. Start newsletter #9.
173. Continue newsletter #9.
174. Publish newsletter #9. Rewrite torrenting setup guide.
175. 😐
176. 😐
177. Edit naming the newsletter.
178. 😐
179. 😐
180. 😐
181. 😐
182. 😐
183. Write intro to newsletter #10.
184. Update now projects.
185. 😐
186. Write conclusions to this challenge.

Learnings #

Progress #

I can feel that I’m getting better at writing.

Structuring posts has become easier. First drafts are better. Editing is faster. I have a better sense of what won’t and will fit. The distinction between English/German has become more clear. I don’t mix the two together as much and both sound more natural. It’s easier to write clear short sentences. To omit unneeded words. I pick up and improve little stylistic elements, like: quoting a source, the us of footnotes, parenthesis for explanations, headline interaction with the text before and after, etc.

This outcome was expected, but it is still satisfying to see this happen organically, just by sitting down to do the work.

Comprehension & Completion #

The ideas and projects I pick to write about are usually very thought-out. I have already engaged with them, internalized and applied them to my life.

What I find in writing about them is that they were not as clear in my mind as I had thought. There are aspects I overlooked. Discrepancies that reveal themselves. Questions I can’t answer, that pop into my head.

Writing forces me to clearly structure everything I know on the topic in my mind.

It also makes me really complete a project. I go through my messy notes and create a beautifully shaped article out of them. One that put the core ideas are front and center. That lacks the unimportant references and tangents (side notes.) That is clearly structured and referenceable.

When I otherwise wouldn’t #

There were many days that I sat down to write in the evening just because I had to. This challenge forced me to do the right thing, when I otherwise wouldn’t.

Sometimes I would write very little. That’s ok. I made the bar (required minimum) very low on purpose. I still did the writing and kept up the habit.

Sometimes I was not in the mood. I still sat down to write and discovered that it was a lot of fun. It always is.

Challenge conclusion #

The last two months of this challenge were on and off. I was not really committed to the challenge any more. The big reason for this was: In my mind I had already already the goal behind this challenge. Only the arbitrary time restriction kept it alive.

My writing has improved. Anytime I want to write about a topic, I can pop out an article up to my quality standard. All the processes are in place, I know how to arrange the filter the contents and describe the topic in a compelling way. Certainly, there is still much room for improvement, especially when it comes to moving a reader to action. It is a topic I will focus on again in the future.

The website has a decent amount of content. When I started this website, I only had ideas of how things would work. I didn’t have the articles to fill my categories. I didn’t know if it would make sense. Now I do. To me, the concept has been validated and realized. A website can always have more articles and I have more to say. And I will. With time.

Future grow of the website does not hinge on more content. Articles are a factor, but SEO alone will not do it for me. Instead I would have to market the website and spend time on growing an audience. That, combined with a focus on putting out more articles is most likely a future priority.

With these point in mind, my focus naturally shifted. Other topic come into focus and supplanted writing. It became an annoyance on my todo list. I still like writing and this was fun, but I now have other things I am focused on. These challenges needs to be in line with my priorities, not the other way around.

Future writing for this website:

• I will continue to publish the newsletter every week.
• I will try to publish one article every other week.
• The articles will be about topics I am currently working through.