I’m trying out something new here, in light of two really good Substack posts I read last week.
First, this really good (and long) piece by Nate Silver, on the act of blogging and how to do so successfully. And second, from Mike Hahn’s really good Running Lightly newsletter, this piece called “The World Needs Your Running Blog.” You should give both a read, especially if you are someone who wants to write online.
I’m always thinking about how to make writing online, both here and on my Substack, a more sustainable and regular part of life. I know, as Nate says in his piece, that consistency is key. My problem is that inspiration and energy for writing come in waves, and when the tide is high, so to speak, I can post a lot of things. But then that energy recedes, and I’ve just got nothing for a while. And by nothing, I mean no inspiration for new pieces, and subsequently, very little motivation to push through the hard work of forcing myself to write about whatever it is that I’m thinking.
But, drawing from Mike’s piece, I’m going to try his suggestion of writing a daily diary-type thing here, which, as you can see above, I am literally calling “Daily Diary”, with today’s date. I’m going to do this, usually in the morning, as often as possible, about whatever is on my mind that morning. Could be politics, could be sports, could be TV, could be books, could be random thoughts. But I’m hoping what it does is spurs my mind on to a more habitual process towards writing, that will hopefully (maybe) inspire more regularity at my Substack, where I post longer, more thoughtful essays on a variety of topics.
I’ll also, for promotional and social media purposes, try to include a picture every day, which may at times pertain to the topic, but more than likely won’t. For today, a picture of my new planner for this year, Monk Manual’s new Weekly Planner, which I am really loving so far:
One other note: you can find me over on Bluesky now, which I have just joined. I don’t post much, and when I do, it’s probably going to be sharing my writing, or about the Packers or Tottenham or television. But give me a follow!
https://bsky.app/profile/justindametz.bsky.social
So, here you go. Daily Diary.
Justin DaMetz 