Routine, Time Constraints, and Repetition are Great Teachers
What I learned from My 31-Day Writing Challenge
It feels like I just finished a marathon: not a physical one, but a mental one. On August 31 I completed a 31-Day blog post challenge. It was exhausting and invigorating at the same time. Tiring because I’ve got a lot going on in my business right now. Invigorating because testing my limits always excites and inspires me.
During those 31 days, I learned a lot about myself and about life. But three key takeaways rose to the top of my list. I can prioritize recreation first, having limited time is excellent for creativity, and repetition is a great instructor.
Turning My Routine on Its Head
On the last day of the challenge, I found myself on a mini-vacation. On my way home from taking care of some business at the American Consulate in Strasbourg, I stopped off in Dijon. Since I was going to be in an area of France I’d never been before, I’d decided that to extend my trip by two days. The last day of the my writing challenge coincided with the last day of my journey. That day was my only full day during my whole trip where I wasn’t in transit or taking care of business and I wanted to explore. So instead of taking the early morning hours to write, edit, and publish my story for the blog post challenge, I went out and experienced the city.
I followed the stream of my curiosity and discovered Dijon. I had breakfast in a park complete with a huge fountain and reservoir. I had tea at a quaint café with its delightful pastries, and was entertained by an adorable toddler there. As I sipped my tea, I wrote a high-level outline for that day’s blog post. Then I tucked my notebook away and set out to explore some more.
The day was perfect. I took a guided tour and learned loads about mustard, dukedoms, and Burgundy cuisine. An impromptu string quartet serenaded me in a lovely square in the center of town. And I ate escargot and beef burgundy. I was indeed in the moment,enjoying some much needed downtime.
As the bell atop Notre Dame struck 6, I was jolted out of my reverie. I knew it was time to get to work so I could finish out my blog post challenge strong. I sucked it up and returned to my hotel room and began constructing my article from the notes I’d sprawled over tea. I was tired from my whirlwind trip, but I was fueled to finish by the sense of satisfaction I’d feel once I’d clicked publish. It was late almost 9 pm by the time I’d finished, but I felt accomplished indeed, proud of what I had taken on and completed.
From this break in routine I learned that doing something out of order, in this case, playing first then doing the required task, can work when a situation warrants it. I also learned in doing this that, I am able to be present and enjoy the moment even when work awaits me. Surprisingly I was not visited by the nagging thoughts that used to plague me and ruin the joy of the moment, when I had a deadline to meet. True progress!
Time Constraints, the Mother of Resourcefulness
Early on in August, I got the incredible idea to start a new podcast series, Courage Concepts. And to go along with it, I decided to design a free membership site where people could access resources to grow bold. I’d house the podcast audio, videos, and transcripts there along with other reference material about the 3 Catalysts for Courage.
I’d already committed to the blog post challenge and was targeting completion of the audio version of Live a Bold life. So I had a lot on my plate. But instead of fretting about how much I had to do or worrying that I wouldn’t be able to get it all done, I got to work.
Feeling excited about Courage Concepts, I decided to write articles that would double as content for my blog post challenge and the new series and website. In this way, I’d kill three birds with one stone. Creating this content was fairly easy since I’d already written a book about the 3 Catalysts for Courage. Writing articles that formed the foundation of my podcast episodes was a great refresher. I also had the bonus of sharing news of my upcoming website and podcast series with readers of my articles. It was a win-win all around.
Not having a lot of time forces you to get creative and work smarter, not harder. As a result of this focused action, I not only have content for the first episode of Courage Concepts, but for three additional weeks thus far. This month, I’m ahead of the game!
Repetition →Competence →Confidence
Practice makes perfect. This isn’t anything new to me, but having taken on this exercise definitely reinforced the idea.
The challenge for me in writing and posting a polished piece daily was not in idea generation. What I found most difficult was editing, title generation, and needing to get my writing done before I could go on to other things. I noticed that it took me longer and felt difficult to edit the first seven or so articles. But as the month spent itself and I’d written consistently, revising my work got easier.
In week two, I noticed my initial drafts were cleaner. It seemed that my brain had started putting words together more effectively on the front end, which meant fewer revisions on the back end. In week three, I recognized I was not agonizing over story titles, and snappy ones were coming to me more quickly. And in week four, I had gained the confidence that I could produce, edit, and publish quickly and effectively, even when waiting until the end of the day to complete my story. More progress!
Don’t Let Fears and Doubts Keep You From Making Progress
At the beginning of every challenge I have accepted, I’ve had fear. I was afraid that I was overextending myself and that I’d be sorry for having committed to it. But, once again, taking on a challenge helped me change my perspective of myself and of what is possible. I can turn routine on it’s head and enjoy myself when I do. I know that I can be creative and develop multipurpose content quickly. And this challenge has reinforced my understanding that practice and repetition are how I improve my skills, create efficient processes, and grow personally.
I am a better writer for having done this challenge, that’s for sure. And while this experiment has ended, I intend to continue writing and posting articles, at least twice weekly, to keep my writing “chops” in shape.
In what area of your life could a boost of confidence or a shift in perspective help you move forward? Take a 30-day challenge and reap the rewards.
