Reflections: 30 Days, 30 Posts

Today is the last day of National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) for which I challenged myself to write and post an article on this blog each day in November. Considering I had been struggling with posting once a month throughout 2013 and knowing that November would be a busy month, I wasn’t sure I would be able to do it. Even one of the guys on my team told me yesterday that he didn’t think I would succeed. I’m happy to say that I met the goal: 30 posts in 30 days!

Since I’m a firm believer in the importance of retrospectives, I thought I would share what I learned from the experience:

Engagement was more than just with my blog

Writing every day meant I was reading every day, which included reading about social media and blogging in general. A friend and I exchanged blogging tips. I learned new Twitter tricks and tips and found out about Topsy and Buffer. As other bloggers liked and commented on my posts, I visited their blogs and discovered some new authors to follow. Most importantly, I engaged more with my audience on the Facebook page for my blog. In trying to create a new habit, I learned more about things that surround it.

Apparently I have something to say

Part of the reason I was struggling with publishing monthly was that I felt I had nothing to say. As I started writing daily, I discovered that I did have something to say. The more I wrote, the easier it got. Almost every day, I found myself say: “That would make a good blog post.” It was also interesting to look at the topics I covered. Almost all of my posts this month were about career, leadership and creativity topics, not project management. Clearly, I am more passionate about leading and helping people than I am about managing things.

No Excuses

I found time to write every day during busier-than-average month. I rediscovered my voice and found I had something to say. So, I really have no excuses not to post something on this blog at least once a week.

Have you ever tried to create a new habit by doing something daily? What did you learn from it? If you also participated in NaBloPoMo, how was it for you?

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