Pros and Con of the 30 Day Writing Challenge
And What I learned
Con
You’re human. Not every thought will be completely perfect. If you’re pumping out an article a day, you won’t have sufficient time to do the ‘proper’ amount of research to put out tip-top quality work. Time and hindsight tend to clarify. A night of sleep on a thought can do wonders. Every day is new and the flow will be stronger some days vs. others.
I can’t think of any more cons than this. Ya, you might have a realization after something is published, but so what? No rule says you can’t change your mind or edit the post, and you can just write another article!
Pros
The deadline. I hate deadlines, but I need them. If I just said, “I’m going to write more”, nothing would’ve happened. I promised the internet that I would write and post for 30 days. If I didn’t keep this social contract, I would have lost credibility with my followers and more importantly with myself.
Content. Good or bad, it’s there. Below is a tweet that I resonate with from the author of “Atomic Habits” James Clear.
Your 1st blog post will be bad, but your 1000th will be great.
Your 1st workout will be weak, but your 1000th will be strong.
Your 1st meditation will be scattered, but your 1000th will be focused.
Put in your reps
By forcing an article out 30 days in a row, I have a solid body of work to fall back on, re-read, and perhaps redefine one day. They might not be masterpieces, but they exist. Article 1,000? That’ll be something.
Reflection. I get to look back on this month of writing and see exactly what I was thinking that time I moved to Mexico. I get to see some thoughts that were running through my brain, and now I wish I kept up the Daily Stoke Report so that I could’ve seen what I did every day. Hmm. I’ll have to start something private for that probably.
You get a free high. Runner’s high is a thing and so is a creativity high. I find that creating gives me a boost somewhat similar to endorphins. Whatever the medium, I’d suggest creating daily. It gives me a boost and might give you one as well.
Vulnerability. I decided to make the 30 days of writing public so that I could be held accountable. Vulnerability is selfish. I put myself out there and felt like a weight was lifted off my chest. Vulnerability also makes for a good read and a good read attracts a community to discourse with.
What I Learned
Before this challenge, I had publicly (by this I mean pushed on social media) posted 2 articles, was writing maybe once a week, and the majority of my writing had been for school. Although my audience is quite small in terms of actual readers, it was freaking frightening writing while thinking that absolutely everybody and anybody could read what I wrote. This challenge helped me conquer this fear and has allowed me to be more comfortable with my self.
I came to the realization that my favorite authors, podcasters, and personalities live vulnerable, transparent lives. Their filterless stories are what I want to hear, relate to, and learn from.
This challenge encouraged me to be more mindful throughout my day. I wanted to get to the ‘why’ behind my thoughts and decisions.
I also learned that I had plenty to write about! Sure I repeated myself, but I always felt like I had something to write about.
I also learned I have a lot to learn:)
Ciao,
Pablo
