I’m officially a blogger!
My experience writing 100 blog posts over 100 days
It’s official, I am a blogger. A tried and tested blogger. I have just completed a challenge I set for my self 100 days ago where I write a blog post every single day, for 100 days. I called it 100 days, 100 thoughts. I did not miss a single day and this website now has over a hundred blog articles on it! Besides the portfolio boost, this experience has taught me a lot about myself and my skills. I will be going into more depth about this in a YouTube video once I’ve had more time to reflect, but here are my immediate thoughts on day 100!
How it went
There were so any times where I thought I wouldn’t reach the 100 days (that includes two days ago). I am someone who loves a challenge, but I didn’t expect it to be this hard. 100 is ambitious, but so am I. You can read the full blog post about why I chose to do this challenge, but now that I’m on the other side, I’m genuinely impressed. What do you mean 100 days has passed since I began this challenge?
No article is the same. I will do a roundup of all the blog posts written during this time soon. The three sections on my blog is fashion, lifestyle and more tea - I tried to spread out the articles equally across those three sections. However, about 90% of those article ideas came to me on the day. I found so many ways to be inspired through reading, talking, socialising etc. that I do feel like I could actually go on for another 100 days!
Some of the articles I wrote were quite personal but I knew the impact t it would have for someone like younger me to read, so I shared it anyways. I’ll get into what I learnt later on in this post but vulnerability is definitely one of them. One of the reasons why I started this blog website was because I wanted to be like Jane the in the Bold Type who would write articles as they come to her sometimes late in the night, typing away on her laptop. What I didn’t expect was to also go down the same journey or vulnerability as she did.
In tune with the title of this series I wrote some thought pieces that were quite timely and reactionary. I started with an opinion on something going on, which then progressed in to formulated thoughts with facts that was then justified throughout the article. To this day, I am still quite impressed with the way I was able to apply what I had learnt in uni about formulating articles through having a PEG, ANGLE and a TREATMENT.
What I learnt
Between personal and professional development, there was a lot to learn form this challenge. This will be better explained in the YouTube video but for now, I can discuss what I learnt about myself and my skills.
They say it takes 21 days to make a habit - so what happens after 100 days? I really feel like a blogger. I am a blogger. I can write articles just about anything. The ideas that came to mind impressed me because I didn’t know I had it in me.
I learnt that I can write quickly but that I can also take my time. Some pieces need to be done then and there while others can brew for a bit - this challenge was an opportunity to learn the balance.
I highly recommend that if you want to get better at a particular skill, test yourself under pressure. Not pressure put on by school or friends, personal pressure because you know your limits and how far you can push it. Set new standards for yourself.
Being vulnerable also allowed me to really connect with you all. There were some blog posts that I second guessed, not because I didn’t think they were good, but because I knew how personal it was. Being perceived is not for the weak. I know that any content I publish is me opening myself up to any resulting criticism. But this challenge taught me that I’m also opening myself up to compassion. There were a couple blog posts that received ALOT of comments of support or I had other people share similar stories and thank me for speaking up. I will be doing a lot more of that as I continue to get comfortable in this virtual world called the Internet.
I was crazy enough to start this challenge in the thick of my final project. Don’t ask me why! When an idea comes to my mind, I have to act on it or it just won’t get done. There will always be a reason to do it tomorrow, or next week or when blah blah blah is finished. I had the idea and acted. Looking back, I can’t say I regret it.
Besides the professional skills to generate ideas and execute on time, I also learnt time management. I did this by deciding what mattered most. For example, my blog matters to me, but the last couple of months, my final project at uni was my priority. So I put systems in place to make sure that my uni work was down so I wouldn’t have to compromise on doing my blog. Having free time is also important to me, so a few weeks into this challenge, I started pushing myself to wake up earlier than I’m used to, to write my blog before starting my day. That way, I could have my evenings to myself (that was before submission deadline was around the corner). Don’t get me wrong, I’m no robot. Some days were more organised than others, but I set an expectation for myself that no matter what, I will reach the end of the 100 day challenge - and I did.
In all honesty, I went through many ups and downs during this time. There were some moments where uni work became ALOT and I wondered what the consequences would be if I ended the challenge early. The answer - nothing. I set the challenge, so I would only be disappointing myself. Well, I’ve reached a point in my life where that is not ok. It’s easy to meet expectations of others, but why do we so easily let ourselves down.
What’s next
Based on some really lovely DMs I have received and kind words in person, the blog will definitely continue to be a regular thing. It won’t be daily as it has been these past 100 days, but I will create a structure for you to expect regular blog posts weekly if not daily.
This challenge has not just taught me about myself but also about you all. I have never felt so connected to my readers, you little teacups, as much as I do now. I am starting to understand what you like, what you want to know about and what really grabs your attention. Now it’s time for me to react. The content coming up will continue to be a reflection of who I am as a writer, but will better connect with who you are as readers. Also, stay up to date as Tea No Sugar may also have a place soon on another platform…
