Writing for 2010

No, I have not given up on writing or taken to abandoning my blogs. My daily habits have been uncomfortably different since I completed two personal study subjects, which cannot be replaced since I'll be transitioning to a part-time college schedule in a few days, so I haven't been working as much or as well I usually do. The absence of a significant workload tends to soften my work ethic, which is why I like having lots of work to do, whether varied or not.

But more importantly I've been battling bad writing premises. Writing is so unique a process in comparison to my other undertakings that I tend to have the bad habit of inappropriately applying to it the standards of another subject. Take my grammar studies for instance. I noticed that in a few short hours I can complete the task of taking notes from my reading and the book-assigned homework at the end of the sections, but in the same amount of time I've noticed I may or may not be able to concoct the final draft of so much as a preliminary writing outline for an article. Judging by the amount of time it takes me to complete one entire homework assignment in comparison to a fractional part of a small writing project, I have had the bad tendency of judging writing as an unproductive process and have been procrastinating on my projects in favor of completing a greater volume of other things. Or in others words: I have been choosing the quantity of other tasks I can complete over putting forth the time and dedication good quality writing requires.

Well, now that I've identified what premise has been making me procrastinate on my writing so vigorously I can work to correct it. I need to constantly keep in mind that writing can become more efficient with practice, but for the period being it so happens to be a process that will consume more time than other tasks will. Just because it may take an entire day to formulate a five page rough draft does not mean writing isn't beneficial.

That being said, one of my New Year's resolutions is to actively remember that the time that passes is irrelevant in regards to productive pursuits so long as one puts forth effort. I have already made this tenet a part of my study routine by hiding all time telling devices while actively engaged in my studies. I turn my alarm clock around towards the wall, shield my eyes from the stove clock when passing through the kitchen, and unplug my radio clock periodically (to prevent inferring the time) to suit that purpose, but one of the lasting problems with my writing is that I was unaware of how to hide the computer clock while I was typing, so much to my distraction I have often had the displeasure of staring at it while constructing an article. Thankfully a friend has taught me how to hide it, so now I can keep myself absolutely ignorant of time the entire period in which I am engaged in mental work, excluding the times when my alarm goes off to designate a scheduled activity.

I would like to, from here on out, keep myself dedicated to posting more regularly than I have before, not just for the benefit of my readers but for the benefit of my thinking. It never ceases to be amazing to me what writing can do to one's thinking. Just yesterday morning I was engaged in writing my thoughts about my upcoming college semester when suddenly I completely switched my train of thought to how keeping a list of short-term goals could be beneficial to my life and motivation. (The switch was initiated by thinking about goals for the semester, which snowballed into contemplating it as a lifelong habit.) While writing, thoughts spontaneously occur to me that seemingly could not occur while I was out on my walk consciously searching for them, and I oftentimes find myself understanding my thinking even better by trying to make it conform to the rules of grammar and completeness on paper. Updating a blog can mean more than merely sharing a funny video or being an advocate for a political view; it can lead to the improvement of one's mind.

Let us see what we can achieve this year given this knowledge, shall we?

P.S. I also resolve to start using contractions on my other blog, Benpercent. Formal writing is all fine and dandy, but for blogging I find it adds considerable strain to what I would like to say.