The Magic of Making Announcements
When I started blogging in 2018, I committed to writing and posting every day for 31 days in a row. I made that commitment to myself in order to develop discipline and become a better writer. I also made that commitment to my Instagram followers to bring them value and keep myself accountable to that act.
The first 30-day blogging sprint was difficult. There were many days in which I would be cozying into bed, happy with the things I had accomplished that day, only to remember I hadn’t blogged that day. I would hop out of bed, regretting my decisions on behalf of my cold toes, and crank out a blog in the few minutes I had left before midnight.
The commitment I made to my Instagram followers was the linchpin in successfully completing that blogging sprint. After about 12 days of writing in a row, my motivation was waning. The only reason I kept going was because I didn’t want to let down the people I had made a commitment to.
In 2019, I did a 61-day blogging sprint. The experience was relatively similar to 2018, except I started developing habits and rhythms that helped me publish more compelling content. Habits like reading every day and picking major themes to write about.
In early 2020, I knew I had to take on a bigger challenge than I did in the two previous years. 100 blogs in 100 days days was a nice, round concept rolling around in my head. I accidentally told my friend Bobby about my idea while I was a guest on his podcast. That small announcement was enough to kick my motivation into gear again. This is 89th blog in 89 days.
The key insight here is that, for some people, there is magic in making announcements. If even a small community is aware of your commitment to them, your chances of success greatly increase. For a social guy like me, it was the commitment to an audience that helped me develop discipline.
Yesterday, I mentioned to my parents that I want to post a blog every day in 2021. I made that commitment to them. Now, because I know how helpful it can be, I’m making that commitment to you.
Here’s the funny thing: in 2018, I was lucky to have 2 readers each day. Technically, they were just site visitors. Who knows if they actually read an entire post. Placebo.
