When the pandemic started, I thought it would be a good opportunity to get things done.  Like working on my playwriting or blog posts.  Being stuck in my home should have removed all the distractions, right?  I should have been able to focus on my goals, right?

Wrong.

Like most people, my Resistance and procrastination went into Overdrive.  I binge-watched Netflix, Amazon Prime, and other streaming services. 

I cooked all kinds of food.  I explored pasta, rice, and sourdough!  I still have my sourdough starter and continue to use it. 

I connected with people on Zoom and Messenger. 

I doom scrolled about Covid and what was happening in the world.  Even when there were no updates, I read different articles about the same thing.  I fretted about things I had no control over.

What I didn’t do was work on the things I hoped I would…

I didn’t do any playwriting during this time. 

I started working on a book about Intermittent Fasting, but I didn’t follow through with that, either. 

And my blog posts almost ground to a halt.  I kept up with a monthly update on my Marathon Weight status.  But there were many other blog posts percolating in my head that I didn’t write.

Now the world is preparing to come out of this pandemic.  It might be time for me to try to get my own stuff back on track.

Starting today, I’m going to work on a new project:  30 Days of Shipping.  It’s been a while since I’ve done a 30 Day Challenge.

What is “shipping”? 

It’s getting your “work” out there.  Publishing this blog post is shipping.  Posting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter is shipping.  Sending a writing piece to someone for feedback is shipping.  Performing a play or having a read through is shipping.  Painting a picture is shipping. Making a sketch.  Creating a recipe. 

Waiting for perfection is the enemy of shipping.  If you wait until it’s perfect, you’ll never get it shipped.  I often over-think things instead of just getting to work on them.  And the over-thinking evaporates any interest or enthusiasm I had in the first place.

Focusing on consistent shipping will help this.  I can’t spend days honing a blog post or Twitter tweet if I must have one done every day for the next 30 days. 

Sometimes quantity is better than quality.  Because the more you do something, the better you get.  So shipping more often makes you better.  And then the quality should follow.

What will my shipping look like?  My blog posts will increase in the next thirty days, that’s for sure.  But blogging won’t be the only way that I plan to ship. 

We’ll see what the next thirty days brings!

© 2021 Peter Gruner