Many moons ago — in a Blogosphere far far away — I used to write "journal like" posts every morning, pretty much before doing anything else. I'd get up, get my first cup of coffee, take the dog out, and then sit down to write.
In a sense, this was an extension of something called "Morning Pages," a practice codified by creative coach Julia Cameron, some years back.
Wild Japanese rose
Getting in the Flow
Of course, "authentic" Morning Pages are supposed to be written longhand, and are only for yourself, not for public consumption. And because of that, they can easily turn into self-indulgent whining sessions... that ultimately DO amount to writing, but don't really result in much actual creative output.
But something about the basic underlying idea always felt sound to me.
So I faithfully filled several paper journals with "Morning Pages," but after a while it felt like there was very little purpose to it. Were these morning rants really good for anything? Did I get any more done, in the course of my days?
Not really...
So I adapted the concept for the digital age, using it as a tool to keep myself engaged. Or to "keep my promises to myself."
The budding... of an idea
Staying On Task
Although I have often deviated far from my writing intent, blogging — at its heart — has always been a form of journaling for me. I started blogging because it was like writing a continuous personal essay. Although I have kept many specialized-topic niche blogs, my favorite has always been commentary and personal essays.
Is that self-indulgent? Perhaps it is...
Anyway, my "Morning Musings" represented a departure from merely "keeping a journal" in the sense that these thoughts would be "in public."
"Big deal! So...?" you might be thinking.
Well, the "Big Deal" is that the underlying psychology of making your goals and intentions "public" translates into an increased likelihood that you follow through with what you said you were going to do. Studies have shown that making a to-do list and crossing things off DOES have a positive impact on both productivity and mental wellness.
Silly as it may sound we "don't want to embarrass ourselves in front of our friends!"
The bud becomes a flower...
Benchmarking and Recording Our Progress
I admit that I tend to be a bit of a numbers geek, but I just find it more rewarding to be able to track a hard copy of how I am doing with a project — and even life — than purely relying on "It FEELS like...," supported only by fading memories of reality.
In addition, you end up with a nice record, which (as a self-development tool) can teach you something about your patterns, idiosyncrasies and weaknesses you might not otherwise be aware of. And thus increase your actual productivity.
Of course, this is contingent on "Self-Awareness" being something that's important to you, in the first place!
Now, if you have gotten this far and are thinking "This is just 'Dear Diary' with an audience," you'd be pretty much right!
But there is value here — especially for someone like me who tends to be a chronic procrastinator, and... well... I'm just kinda lazy. I'm pretty much the exact opposite of one of those "Type-A Go-getters."
Besides, I'm ADHD as fuck, and this kind of structure really helps!
New spring growth
So Where IS the Value?
The value, at least for me, has been in learning to set realistic goals — even if they are small — because I feel more accountable for them.
The value has also been in learning to think through my processes before making a list. Because I am self-employed and have multiple "micro-busineses" to keep track of, time management is extremely important in my world.
I just can't rely on "Oh yeah, I need to get that done..." thinking. It just doesn't tend to get done!
But it also keeps me from having ambitions of (realistically!) trying to get 42 hours' worth of work done in a day.
Blue skies!
Why Here? Why Now? Why HIVE?
I believe we are at a critical moment of change.
The more I look at that, the more it applies to me, on a personal level; it applies to this social community, which just changed venues; it applies to our local communities, as this unexpected pandemic is restructuring how we do things; it applies to the world, as existing economic systems have suddenly been shoved towards extinction... and the Corona Virus is making it necessary for everyone to have a long hard look at how we interact financially.
Think about it, for a moment:
The mere fact that we can't really GO anywhere is inadvertently giving us a shove towards the sort of self-reliance we can call decentralization, or — on a more basic level — peer-to-peer connectivity.
I watch my neighborhood... people who have never previously talked, suddenly voluntarily participating in co-operative efforts to make collective grocery runs or post office trips. Neighbors posting to neighbors about repair and maintenance services.
Just something to think about.
But getting back to the question: *"Here" because my original intent when joining Steemit was to resume social blogging.
I've sort of succeeded... but with the move to HIVE, I see an invitation to "check myself" and get back on task.
So there you have it.
Thanks for reading, and stay healthy!
Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for this platform.)
Created at 20200326 10:52 PDT
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