I* have been blogging for over a year now. And in that time,
I have only missed a few posts (Monday thru Friday) due to a few errant
holidays, some traveling hiccups or technical glitches, and a couple of
self-imposed sabbaticals. Now, granted, sometimes I nail it and other times, as
my regular readers know, I mail it in or, gasp, fail it entirely. But for the
most part, I’d like to believe that I’ve become a welcomed** part of quite a
few daily and/or weekly jaunts around the web.
The one question I get asked the most often is, “Do you
think you’ll ever stop posting every day?” Perhaps.
But let me take you behind the scenes*** of how my blog
posts come about and, hopefully, that will show you why I’ve been able to keep
up such a blistering**** pace.
First, I stay open to
ideas. If I’m in the middle of a conversation and something sparks a
potential post, I wait until the conversation is over—it’s called manners,
people—and make a note of it on a scrap of paper or in my phone.
Second, I make time
to create. This might seem like a no-brainer, but I actually have dedicated
times blocked out each week in order to play around with ideas.
Third, I’ve created standard
set pieces. A day in the life of X as seen by Y? Mr. Dog-Turd Hand? Graffiti
sections? Yep, these are all go-tos that I can return to time and time again
instead of starting each post from scratch.
Fourth, I automate.
You think I actually get up at 5 a.m. everyday to post? No. I try to get as
many posts done in one sitting as possible each week. It doesn’t always work
out, but at least I can live a relatively normal life***** and soak in more
inspiration for additional posts.
Fifth, I don’t force
it. If an idea isn’t working, I put it on the shelf and return to it later.
No, seriously, I literally****** have a shelf for on-hold ideas.
Finally, I’ve created
a false deadline and really stick to it. My old Tae Kwon Do instructor told
me once that you have to repeat an action 10,000 times in order for it to
become automatic. Lucky for you, dear reader, I’ve posted 9,833 times*******
thus far.
*The great and powerful Oz
**Tolerated
***Essentially the DVD extras of my blog
****A bit much? I thought so. Let’s go with “consistent”
pace.
*****For a Blogger
******I don’t really have a shelf
*******Give or take 9,500 times