Day 703 - 700 - https://golifelog.com/posts/700-1670143791575
I passed 700 days here on Lifelog recently. That’s almost 2 years of unbroken daily writing. Some thoughts:
Simple is best
I got a simple system for my content flywheel going. Telegram saved messages for collecting notes, ideas and links. Daily writing here on Lifelog to process those ideas and thoughts. I like that simplicity. Big note-taking systems using Notion and Roam never quite worked for me, even though it’s so popular. I’m glad I found a simpler way that worked for me that’s sustainable. That last line is key to longevity I feel.
The payoff is the process
The payoff is the process. I can take all day to talk about all the benefits of writing. Clarity. Content library. Connections. But those are after the fact benefits. The direct payoff is just the process of writing something down every day. Something. Anything. It feels nice. I reconnect with myself. That’s it.
Every day is still hard
Yet despite having systems, it never gets easier. Some days I still struggle to know what to write. Today was an example. Every now and then I get reminded of just how much of an infinite game this is. We’re never done done.
Doubtlessness
Despite how hard it can get, I seldom ever question why I do this. There was probably a period of time early on in my daily writing journey where I had doubts. Am I chasing a streak? I would ask. What’s the point of writing some random sh*t every day? Who would read? Why do I bother? All those questions, GONE. After 700 days streak—and more if you count the 2 year streak before I started on this streak—all those doubts are gone. I know I want to do this. And it’s not just because I’m committed. But because it’s gotten to be such a core part of me, like eating and breathing, that I no longer doubt it. Now that’s something. When was the last time you built a habit outside of normal survival habits like eating, drinking that you reached this level of doubtlessness? I can’t recall other habits I have that I’ve done with such unwavering consistency. Not even meditation. Not even mindfulness. Not even my hobbies.
There. 700 days. Well done, me.
Simple is best
I got a simple system for my content flywheel going. Telegram saved messages for collecting notes, ideas and links. Daily writing here on Lifelog to process those ideas and thoughts. I like that simplicity. Big note-taking systems using Notion and Roam never quite worked for me, even though it’s so popular. I’m glad I found a simpler way that worked for me that’s sustainable. That last line is key to longevity I feel.
The payoff is the process
The payoff is the process. I can take all day to talk about all the benefits of writing. Clarity. Content library. Connections. But those are after the fact benefits. The direct payoff is just the process of writing something down every day. Something. Anything. It feels nice. I reconnect with myself. That’s it.
Every day is still hard
Yet despite having systems, it never gets easier. Some days I still struggle to know what to write. Today was an example. Every now and then I get reminded of just how much of an infinite game this is. We’re never done done.
Doubtlessness
Despite how hard it can get, I seldom ever question why I do this. There was probably a period of time early on in my daily writing journey where I had doubts. Am I chasing a streak? I would ask. What’s the point of writing some random sh*t every day? Who would read? Why do I bother? All those questions, GONE. After 700 days streak—and more if you count the 2 year streak before I started on this streak—all those doubts are gone. I know I want to do this. And it’s not just because I’m committed. But because it’s gotten to be such a core part of me, like eating and breathing, that I no longer doubt it. Now that’s something. When was the last time you built a habit outside of normal survival habits like eating, drinking that you reached this level of doubtlessness? I can’t recall other habits I have that I’ve done with such unwavering consistency. Not even meditation. Not even mindfulness. Not even my hobbies.
There. 700 days. Well done, me.
Notion never worked for me as well. I use readme files for taking notes and sync and host it on GitHub.
Jason Leow
Author
Not tried Github but love that there's version control on it - can always look back on old notes if deleted
I use GitHub everyday for my work so I like to use it for hosting my notes as well
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