Writing is Hard Eh?

Over the past month or so I’ve tried to start a regular writing habit. And I’ve discovered that its really hard. Not because writing is hard (even though it is), and not because I don’t want to do it (I do). I’ve struggled because there are actually infinite reasons to not write. What I mean by that is that every single thing that you could possibly do in any given moment is a reason not to write.

Oh I have to run to the grocery store
Gotta figure out why my tire is leaking air
Ooh, must fix that door hinge before the door falls off!
Its so cold out, let me go to the gym for a quick sauna
I should finish that bit of work that is on my mind before I forget

This is my list from just the last two days. Its not even that I’m looking for excuses. The inertia of life takes me from thing to thing to the next thing most effortlessly. In my mind I’m not making excuses not to write. It just happens. I had no idea how to fix a door hinge but watching a few youtube videos and then pulling out power tools seemed less intimidating than writing.

Yeah, maybe its because I don’t feel like I have anything important to say. Or maybe its that it takes a lot of effort to figure out what to write about. The latter seems like an important point of friction that I can work on. Instead of ‘just write something’, have a more structured system for what to write about so you have some constraints when you begin. Kind of like having a workout plan so when you go to the gym you know what to do and it feeds into something bigger.

Anyway, you can fail at everything else but if you persevere then you are still in the game, and thus the game is not over. You only lose when you quit.