I Learned 6 Brutal Writing Lessons (so You Don’t Have To)
Number five says micro-dosing prevents burnout
You’ve heard this quote:
“Lesson learned. Wisdom earned.” — Steve Gilliland
But there’s a missing piece to this that nobody talks about.
Between a lesson and wisdom gained is a period of hardship. During this period, it can feel like cinder blocks dropped directly on your heartstrings.
It takes months, even years, to gain wisdom from a failure or situation that didn’t go your way.
I’ve written online for three years, and I’ve learned some tough lessons that only now feel like wisdom. The time between the lessons and wisdom hurt like a stubbed toe, and I want to spare you the pain.
Learn from my mistakes and learn what I had to figure out on my own.
1. Don’t attack anybody (even if they deserve it)
In college, I worked for the university’s daily newspaper.
We made a typo on the paper's front page, and a campus organization wasn’t too happy about it.
The next day, a head of the organization walked into the newsroom during regular class hours and had some words for the people in the room. It was a heated, one-sided conversation about a typo.
And while it sounds ridiculous (I know I’m not giving too much context here), to them, their argument was noble. To us, they were a pain.
So while we fixed the typo online, we couldn’t reprint the paper.
And in our next edition, we added a letter from the editor that called out the organization that came after us.
Not good.
This caused even more trouble than it was worth — as an unbiased newspaper. We put our credibility on the line. In the end, nobody got in trouble, but there’s a hard lesson to learn.
As an online writer, you’ll have fans, but you’ll also have haters.
Take the high road if somebody wrongs you, calls issues your article. Ignore the haters. Keep doing what you’re doing, and trust your process.
2. You only need permission from one person (give it to yourself)
When I write, shoot photos, or do anything expressive, I think of the film, The Dead Poets Society.
Neil goes on to act in a play even though his father disapproves. Even though he doesn’t have explicit permission, he feels euphoric about doing what he’d always dreamed of.
While the story doesn’t end as we’d hoped (I can’t believe my middle school English teacher played this movie in class), there’s a powerful message to dissect.
When I look back on my online writing journey, I see the doubts, not just from me but from other people. There was pushback when I asked my old boss for Fridays off to focus on writing. He doubted my ambition.
And rightfully so, I took the next, better-paying Monday-Friday job I could get and gave up on the “Friday writing day.”
I’ve also stopped writing for periods because I feared what other people would say. I thought they’d think I was weird for posting my observations about the world instead of shirtless photos on Instagram.
I wasted seven months wondering what would happen if I started writing instead of actually doing it.
But I can surely tell you now when you learn not to give a damn about what other people think, smashing the “publish” button is second nature.
3. You’re lost w/o a system (it’s not one size fits all)
I’ve been writing for three years — it took three years to lock in a system.
I’ve written inconsistently because, within the last three years, I’ve…
Held three different jobs
Moved twice
Met a girl
A lot has happened, and a lot is still happening. A writing system is more important than ever when you work a 9–5 and want to build a business off writing part-time.
I fit my writing system into my day like so:
I fill my mind in the morning
I empty my mind in the late afternoon
I use my mind at night
Most are forced to fit their lifestyle around their work. That’s what I do, I’m a “9–5” workaholic, but I still prioritize a workout and a 45–90 minute writing session.
So if I want to do everything I want, even with a full-time job, I rearrange my schedule to work for me.
Implementing a writing system has improved my productivity and allowed me to publish articles online consistently.
4. Your friends will ask questions (ignore the noise)
My friends think I work too hard.
My family even texted me about it, hinting at an intervention, because a friend contacted them. They mean the best, but the only people who understand me are those with similar ambitions.
Most people won’t understand your drive to write online. But that’s okay.
Others will look down on you because they see you putting in extra work when they don’t. That’s okay too.
And I’m not saying cut your friends loose — my friends are my rocks. I can go to them for anything, but we have different interests.
No matter who it is, ignore the noise people want to stuff into your head. Don’t let others bomb your ambition.
5. Burnout is inevitable (unless you take breaks)
My job is demanding, staying in shape is hard, and I don’t sleep as well as I used to.
Add an hour of daily deep work, and you have a recipe primed to burn out.
Remember, I quit writing consistently for half of 2022. I was cooked. I didn’t have a sound writing system and was so busy that I couldn’t look at my keyboard after logging out of my 9–5.
So I used my writing break to prioritize learning and recharge my batteries.
Now, I’ve worked breaks into my lifestyle.
Most people dream of long vacations doing nothing, but that’s a high that doesn’t last. I hate this idea. It’s like working hard all year just to sit on a beach for seven days.
I choose to sustain my work/writing lifestyle by micro-dosing breaks. This way, I never crave an extended vacation and constantly want to create.
6. Money is abundant (but it takes work)
Most people don’t want to hear this, but you won’t make much money in your first year of writing.
Unless you’re an outlier, you should ideally give yourself five years before you can think of quitting your job. And honestly, the trajectory seems fitting. After three years, I feel ready to release paid products.
Writing isn’t getting rich quickly, but nothing good in life is.
The final lesson is: that which is hard to build is the only thing worth building. Because it’s meaningful, you’ll feel waves of serotonin.
The money is out there for writing, more than I can currently fathom, but stick with it by keeping to the lessons above, and you’ll focus on the journey instead of the destination.
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I totally agree with this post, nicely written, nicely done. I usually start my day by 8:30AM, and I work all day without a break. My first meal is a combination breakfast and lunch ("brunch") which I consume around 2-3PM. Then I go back to work until the evening news comes on at 5:30. Whatever I am unable to finish that day can wait until tomorrow morning. When the news goes off the air at 7PM, I get caught up on emails, which usually takes about half an hour. At that point I'm done for the day. I stream You Tube video's or listen to music until around 10-10:30 to help me unwind. It's a tough work schedule, but that's what it takes to succeed.