Edition 16: I have published a post a day for 16 weeks straight. Why it is a useful habit & here is my process
Hello Folks,
This week I am writing about my writing process and address some of the questions that have come my way about my writing process.
Let’s go.
Prologue
We are all consuming a lot of content every day- blogs, tweets, posts, youtube, news, and social media pings. Our Mobile device is a source of enormous amounts of information. Yet, it has also become a major source of distraction. Social media has tamed our monkey brain. It has made things so juicy that it is easier to go down the rabbit hole and sink in hours.Â
We spend hours consuming content. Algorithms hook us in the dopamine cycle. They lead you to scroll into a bottomless pit. Videos are now reels, making it hard to get out. Our production of content and ideas is reducing at a rapid pace too. We watch 5 billion youtube videos every day, but less than 10% of users create content.Â
Learning and incorporating a writing habit
True learning happens when we consume less, reflect more, absorb, and then put that into action. To change some of my habits, I committed to becoming disciplined about writing. I wrote 100+ articles in the past 90 days and learned a lot about setting up systems to write.Â
So, in this post, I will share my process for writing.
Gaps in learningÂ
Knowledge and ideas are evaporative.
Ideas are not magical. Execution is.
You don't become good by reading or watching more and more about it. (getting stronger, disciplined, learning a skill). You need to invest time doing it.
Doing things lead to a feedback loop. It guides you on where to focus your energy.
Writing things down is hard. Building systems is harder.
What did I learn by writing daily?
The biggest hurdle to publishing is not a gap in skillset or expertise. It is not a time issue either. It is getting out of our own heads(judgments of others).
The second biggest hurdle is figuring out what to write about.
Writing consistently helps clarify and articulate ideas.
Powerful writing is about simplifying ideas. It comes through editing.
Start sharing what you learn. There is no need to write from a certain pedestal (being an expert).
Everyone who publishes consistently has a system in place.
Starting thinking like a media house. Media houses don't stop and think about what we do write or produce today. Their plans are set weeks and months in advance.
Using systems & templatize recurring activities reduces friction.
Collecting data on writing is important. That helps understand what works and what does not. incorporating feedback is key to building your flywheel.
Here is my system for my writing process.
I have overcome the biggest challenge - what to write about? I don't look at the blank page anymore. If anything, I have too many ideas in the pipeline with little time to write them all.
Tools I use
Capture ideas on the go- Tweek
Content hub, Content calendar & drafts - Notion
Edition tool - hemmingway editor
Content distribution - Buffer, TypeShare
Platforms - Linkedin, Twitter, Substack & my blog(ghost.org)
Let me know if you have any questions or if I can help you in any way.Â