Day 16: Consistency works
And you know it.
The first pieces of writing that really got my pen going weren’t published anywhere. They weren’t even meant to be.
After my first year of high school, our literature teacher gave us a summer reading list and homework to keep a reading diary.
So, I took some books and a notebook to the countryside, where I spent a few weeks with my grandparents.
At first, I could barely get a few sentences out.
But as the days went by, I started writing whole pages. I was so surprised by it.
Until then, I’d only written in journals and only when I felt like it. The stronger the mood, the longer the entry. But that summer, I realised that writing regularly made the words flow better.
It wasn’t just summaries or regurgitated critique. It was my own thinking.
And even though I wasn’t going to publish my reading diary, I was going to show it to my teacher at summer’s end — which, honestly, might have been more terrifying than publishing it.
That’s how confidence starts: not with approval or strength, but with repetition and doubt.
You do it, you see that you (kinda) can, and you keep going. Even if the first tries are crappy as hell.
Prompt (pleasure, not high school homework 📒)
Think back to a moment when you realised you could actually do something — write, present, run, bake — even if you didn’t feel ready at first.
What helped you cross that line between “I can’t” and “I did”?
Write about it, the context, the feeling, the process, the surprise, the result.
Alternative: If you want something more practical, pick one of your recent texts and add more paragraphs to it. One, two, three. It doesn’t matter if it’s good, it matters that you can.
Rules (daily reminder):
☕ Pick a time to write and tie it to a ritual (morning coffee, evening tea).
⏱ Write for 25 minutes — no less. More only if you’re in the flow.
🎶 Music helps stay in the flow (here’s a mood booster).
🪑 Show up anyway. Even if you don’t feel like it, stay with the page. Write anything, doodle.
📓 Write on your laptop or in a notebook. Writing by hand can help you focus (any notebook will do).
✍️ Make it yours. If today’s theme doesn’t click, write about something else that feels close.
💌 Optional: A lesson in overcoming doubt is great to share. Send it to someone, or, why not, post it on social media or a blog. If you don’t have a blog but would like to write more than just social media posts, you can publish articles on LinkedIn (or even start your own newsletter, it’s fairly easy). Shrug & …