Writing is a technology of the self. Image: thierry ehrmann http://www.flickr.com/photos/home_of_chaos/
I was asked today why I write this blog. It’s a good question.
Here are the best reasons I can give you right now.
- It gives me a place to reflect, like I’m doing now.
- It gives me an opportunity to show leadership. I tell clients “get things out of your head and onto the web.” This is me doing just that.
- Writers write. One day I’ll write a book. If I’m to be a good writer I need to write more. By going public on a commitment to write something every day I’m holding myself accountable for being a better writer.
- It gives me an opportunity to clarify my ideas. Knowing I’m writing to an audience makes me think things through in more detail.
- It forces me to stop thinking and just do. Having a deadline forces me to make my mind up and get something – anything – written. Even if it’s not great at least it’s something. Something is better than nothing. For someone who’s a perfectionist it can be a tough ask somedays.
- It forces me to be clear about my motivations. Like I’m doing here.
- It allows me to express my fears and imperfections. Not that I can’t do that privately but there’s something courageous about speaking my truth to an unknown audience.
- It builds my profile. The traffic on this blog has increased substantially since I started writing every day.
- It’s a “technology of the self,” as my favourite philosopher puts it, a way to structure and document the activity of looking after the soul.
Taking care of oneself became linked to constant writing activity. The self is something to write about, a theme or object (subject) of writing activity. This is not a modern trait born of the Reformation or of romanticism; it is one of the most ancient Western traditions.(Foucault, p.27)
- It’s a way for me to reflect on what I learn. Rather than simply reading something this blog makes me ask “so what?” Knowledge through action becomes clarity and wisdom.
- It’s a form of gymnasia, a way to test myself both physically and mentally. The discipline of blogging every day takes as much effort as exercising every day. The benefit of that discipline shows up in more mental strength and a greater endurance to cope with what life throws at me.
- It gives me a place to record what I’m learning. I did this throughout my uni studies and find it useful to go back through my old notes.
The conclusion? Don’t expect too much from this blog. It’s a work space, a place where you’ll catch a glimpse of what makes me tick, what’s caught my attention, and what I think is important right now.
These aren’t fully formed thoughts. Rather their notes, reflections and resources I find useful.
Footnotes
See how the numbering above is separated by a block quote. Well the trick to starting the numbering at a number other than 1 requires a tiny piece of code that you can read about here. Like I told you, this is a place to record what I’m learning.
Foucault, M. (1988). Technologies of the Self. In L. Martin, H. Gutman & P. Hutton (Eds.), Technologies of the self. Massachusetts: Massachusetts Press.
