With consistency and reps and routine, you’re going to achieve your goals and get where you want to be.
– Mandy Rose
Writing consistently is like training the muscles and with time, they are toned, fat reduced and admirable.
I remember the day I signed up for an online writing course, Ship 30 for 30. It was after I had gone through the free 5-day email course, ‘The Ultimate Guide To Start Writing Online‘. The email course fired me up. Suddenly, I realized I was the one keeping myself. I could make some changes and incorporate writing into my day. But then, before I paid, war raged within me. I battled with negative thoughts that wanted to convince me I couldn’t and won.
There comes a time in one’s life that you just want to take the plunge into the unknown and see what happens.
It cost me, but I’m glad I took the plunge. It started when I scrolled to Dickie Bush’s tweet on the free email course on ‘How to start writing online‘. Now, I have been writing online but my writing has been epileptic, and since the course was free, why not! Besides, I could learn something new. I watched out for the email daily and some stuff I read encouraged me to sign up for Ship 30 for 30.
I must confess that I wasn’t sure I could pull through based on my busy work schedule, but I gave it a shot and succeeded.
Here are 3 lessons I learnt while writing and publishing every day for 30 days.
I can actually create time
Where there is a will, there is a way.
I always came up with excuses about my busy schedule, but the email course spurred me on with, ‘You will not find the time to write; you’ve to create the time’. It talked about having a sacred hour for writing. Boom! That did it. I sat down and as I thought of how to create time for writing, I concluded I could get up earlier and write before going to work.
So I created time in the mornings before work and wrote daily for 30 days.
Consistency is not a rocket science
It helps when you break the tasks into small chunks.
Ship 30 for 30 encourages us to start by writing atomic essays, 250 – 300 words daily. The number of words instantly seemed doable. With time, I found myself writing more words. Another aspect that also made me try was the idea that one can create one hour or less daily to write. If I give my employer over 8 hours, why can’t I do what I love for just one hour consistently?
The more I wrote daily, the more I realized that if I was writing one hour daily in the past 10 years, it would have compounded.
I can provide value
‘You have some good content’ said a reader.
While I had a few views and comments these past 30 days, this one singular comment from a reader is encouraging. As I’ve learnt, I will focus on writing for an audience of one. If one person finds value, I know it will eventually have a rippling effect. Of course, I also know that my readers will increase with time.
The more I provide value, the more people are impacted.
Ship 30 for 30 was just what I needed to get my writing back on track. This time I will be consistent. At least I will try not to miss two days. Over this period, I now know that as a 9-5er who wants to be a digital writer, there are two skills I must master – consistency and time management. The more I practice, the better my writing and I am optimistic that I will be a skilled writer with time.
Which lesson resonated with you the most? Share your insights on writing below!
