Why I Quit My Daily Writing Habit
After writing for at least 5 minutes for 55 consecutive days, I abruptly stopped. Writing was one of my seven daily habits in January and February. While I still believe in the power of tiny habits, writing for as little as five minutes daily wasn’t serving me. It offered no benefits. It was futile.
Too often, I itched to write more than the time I budgeted for writing. Since my minimum was five minutes, I rarely wrote for more than ten minutes. I was almost always in a rush.
Not this season
Time is finite. I can’t do all that I want to do. My wants and needs are forever evolving. I have a desire to write but it’s not strong. I don’t need to write. This will change in the next season of my life.
In this current season of my life, there are other personal projects that are a higher priority for me. I’m moving to Miami Beach in 3 weeks. Once I move, exploring my new hometown will become a top priority. I have a strong desire (and need) to “finish” the structure of my money budget with YNAB.
I run daily. I practice yoga and meditation daily. I won’t be giving up these daily habits yet. They are more important than writing.
Although I won’t be writing daily, I’ll continue to publish at least once per week. I’ve yet to miss a Sunday since December 22, 2019. This means I’ll be writing weekly, usually for at least an hour. This is good enough for me for now.
It’s okay (and sometimes better) to quit
Everything is ephemeral. Quitting doesn’t mean you’re quitting forever. I quit my daily writing habit but I’m not quitting writing. I quit a 7-mile run attempt on Christmas Day last year but successfully ran 7 miles on February 2. Today, I quit listening to a Joe Rogan podcast episode that I wasn’t feeling but am not quitting podcasts.
I’ve run at least one mile for 231 consecutive days. This streak was possible because I quit my 7-mile run attempt on Christmas Day. I turned around after 1.5 miles to prevent injury.
Quitting today can serve us in the future. We need to be mindful of our circumstances to realize when quitting will serve us.
Don’t like the idea of quitting? Use a different word.
Take an extended break. Relax. Breathe. Be.
