For a long time, I wanted to publish a daily blog. At first, I struggled with publishing at all. Eventually, I started to publish inconsistently. Then I worked up to a pace of almost monthly.

Suddenly, at the end of 2017, I got a little traction. One week turned into two. Two weeks became a month. A month became a quarter. And here I am. 16 months in.

Even after 16 months, I’m waiting for the point at which this will happen with more ease and fluidity on a more consistent basis.

Some days, it comes together quickly. Other days, it doesn’t.

On the days it doesn’t come together with ease, I often find myself engaged in an inner debate about whether to quit daily blogging or continue.

Inside The Debate of Quit vs Continue

There are rational arguments on both sides.

On one hand, this project takes time and energy that can be directed to other projects. Or, I can use the time for more rest.

On the other hand, I’m proud of the body of work I’ve published so far. And, unlike some of my other work, what I write and publish here has staying power. New people find my work each day without my having to do anything to find them. Perhaps you’re one of those people.

Of course, that takes me back to the reasons to quit. If I’m not publishing a blog post, I can devote more time and energy to creating free gifts that will entice you to join my tribe, or to engaging more with my community.

If you’ve ever been in this type of an inner debate, you know it can loop endlessly.

The Duality Reality

Framing the decision as “quit vs continue” sets up a “duality reality” — “this or that” thinking that keeps us stuck in an endless loop of pros/cons and “on one hand” vs “on the other hand.”

It doesn’t get us anywhere productive.

The duality reality is an illusion. Whenever we face that type of dilemma we must look for another option.

One way to escape the duality reality is to reframe the decision by asking a better question. Better questions open us up to options that we might not have previously considered.

This is what I’m doing with my debate about daily blogging. In this case, the arguments on both sides have merit. The reasons why I wanted to publish a daily blog still apply. I see value in continuing daily blogging. And, I have other projects that also demand my attention.

Reframing the Decision

Instead of “quit vs continue,” I reframed the decision by asking,

How can I continue to publish a daily blog in a way that will consume less energy and time?

This is my challenge in almost every area of my life: to do less.

This is also aligned with one of my core reasons for daily blogging: to break my habit of perfectionism and become comfortable with “good enough.”

“Good enough” does not come easily to me.

My early training as a lawyer led me to approach every topic like a term paper or legal brief: gathering my research, building context for my thesis, laying out an argument with supporting points, including a call-to-action.

I have an inner expectation that I should only publish something when it feels complete and comprehensive.

Those are engrained habits that I’m trying to break with the practice of daily blogging.

Publishing something that feels incomplete, or when I know I have more to say, feels wrong.

My Challenge

And that’s my practice: hitting publish even when it feels wrong. Allowing imperfection and incompleteness. Doing what I can in a set time limit and knowing that tomorrow is another day.