Warning: bit of a boring show today — just plans and record keeping.

Learned, Keep, Start, Stop

I’ve completed one week of blogging each day. What have I learned, what should I keep doing, what should I start doing, and what should I stop doing?

I’ve Learned

• Things may fall into place easily, or take a lot of effort. No pattern yet.
• Starting after 10:00 PM means I won’t finish until after midnight.
• My best posts have specific messages to deliver.
• Cut things that don’t need to be said.

Keep

• Blogging.
• Trying to get exposure to topics which give me reasons to blog.
• Thinking about the post earlier and earlier in the day.
• Meticulously editing things. Thanks to Robyn for some inspiration here.

Start

• Writing as soon as I start thinking.
• Thinking earlier — days in advance, not hours in advance.
• Trying not to let this mess up my bed time.
• Learning so that I can explain, instead of learning for its own sake.

Stop

• Worrying about correctness. I tend to be wrong anyway, so why work so hard at it?
• Quitting on topics that I don’t feel like writing about at the moment.
• Trying to trick myself into starting new focus items (things to do for 21 days) early.
• Trying to accomplish too much, and thinking about what I haven’t accomplished.

Summary, or Commentary, or something

That’s all just sticks in the sand. I don’t (yet) have any metrics to base these on, so it’s just gut feelings for now. I’m pleased with the progress so far, and will definitely continue. I just need to find ways to integrate this into my day other than appending it to the end.

Next week I might try to write a plan of each post first, and I’d like to start researching a topic the day before writing about it. I’ve made some headway today — first draft written at 6:30 PM in a barber shop, third draft now at 11:01, and I’m mostly wound-down for sleep.

Thanks to the friends and family who have been reading and giving feedback. I appreciate it a ridiculous amount. Now it’s time for sleep, where I’m a viking.