The Advantages of Writing Daily

The Advantages of Writing Daily

The most frequent question I get about the blog is how I can keep up my publishing schedule. I’ve been asked a million times. My answer is always the same. It is a habit. The advantages of writing daily are many. It has been thus for years. I don’t write to retain readers (sorry). I don’t write because of a deep urge to put pen to paper (although it exists).

The reasons are far more varied and numerous. Although I won’t enumerate all of them here, I thought I would put a few down on paper to answer this most often asked question.

Flow State

Writing isn’t easy. In fact it can be downright aggravating at times. Unfortunately translating the beauty of what runs through the mind into something worth reading can be challenging. It takes practice. Over and over again.

Yet, practice is not enough. There is a mental state that goes along with good writing that is hard to explain. A flow state. Anyone who writes on a regular basis knows what this is.

It is the state of unique grace in which the words come out almost as fast as they are being written. All the mental entanglement is cleared, and words flow thoughtlessly. Effortlessly.

This takes practice. Diligence. And a little bit of luck. The advantages of writing daily include the ability to tap into this flow state more easily. Somewhat like a trance, a good writer learns to step into this mind state just by the act of sitting down in front of the computer and getting ready to write. Sort of like Pavlov.

Meditation

Speaking of trances, one of the several advantages to writing daily is the time set aside for deep thought and self reflection. I think of my daily writing as sort of a meditation. I am deeply engaged in the pursuit of a single goal. To express myself in a clear and succinct way.

You could argue that this time is not necessarily introspective, but I would beg to differ. No matter what the topic being written on, a large part of the process is sorting through one’s own mental biases.

A good writer often awakens from this daily meditation feeling more alert and alive than before. Thoughts have coalesced. Feelings have been investigated. And plans and plots have formed.

This is healthy, quiet, deep work. In my case, I feel like it makes me more relaxed. Vigorous. And more energetic.

Accountability

I have written regularly, in public since around 2005. I first started with a medical blog and now personal finance and philosophy. During this tenure, the changes that have occurred in my life and career have been cataclysmic. Change has been a constant.

Constant, but not random. Over the years I have tried to be very thoughtful about who I am and what I believe in. I have tried, when possible, to chart my coarse carefully.

Many of my biggest plans, hopes, and dreams started as words written on the internet for others to read. Not only has this been my experimental lab, but also the ruler in which to measure accountability. The advantages to writing daily include the creation of a narrative that can be measured and reevaluated.

Whether in public or not, the written word becomes proof of one’s prior beliefs about commitments and aspirations. A chart of accountability, so to speak, that lasts long after the passion and resilience fade.

Final Thoughts

I write daily. Not only to express myself but to practice that great flow state of the master writer. It is my daily meditation that documents my hopes and dreams. It becomes my accountability diary. A way to measure my actions against my intentions.

The advantages of writing daily are numerous.

What’s holding you back?