Besides my own blog I publish on a few other blogs. I’ve also had the privilege of having some of my work published in print publications as well. For me, writing is not only a way of processing but also quieting my mind. Sometimes my mind is too occupied with many things. Writing becomes a way of expelling some thoughts, allowing me to focus on other things. I’m feeling the impact of writing less.
Not writing or writing enough, whatever that is, presents some weird challenges for me. The following is not exhaustive:
More Difficult
The more I write the easier it is to write more. The less I write, the harder it is to be consistent in my writing and creating more content. I imagine this to be like exercise. The more frequent my exercise the fitter I am. The less I exercise, the more unfit I become, and more difficult it is to do some tasks.
More Junk
The less I write the more junk I consume. When I’m not creating content, I consume. I’m not talking about the good kind of consumption — reading a great book or listening to a podcast and such. I mean a ton of Netflix, YouTube and other unhelpful junk on social media. A waste of time.
I’m not saying it is Netflix, social media and other pacifiers are bad. I mean there’s an unhealthy consumption and habits. Exercise in the form of writing, as well as physical exercise, goes out the window.
When we’re not doing something constructive the unhealthy will fill the gap. Too much junk…
Thinking
Writing less often translates to not giving enough thought to, uhm, stuff. Writing is a way of thinking, processing. No writing or little writing means less critical thinking.
Consistency
I have to be better disciplined to write. Not to write more per se, but to be consistent writing.
I agree with everything you’ve said here regarding junk consumption based on my personal experience as well.
I was astonished more than once with the things I was able to do with the right focus but it is still hard for me to take more time for planning than actually doing something in order to be more productive. I’m reading a lot about the techniques people used to achieve this so I hope that in the future, I’ll be able to grasp this as well :)
You and me both, Duke. I guess the most important thing is self-awareness. Knowing what helps or hinders us. It’s also important to be kind to yourself as you figure out all these things. All the best with your endeavours.