Create a Writing Ritual You Love. Achieve What Feels Insanely Out of Reach.

Lessons from a whopping 150 weeks of publishing.

Today marks 150 weeks of publishing this newsletter.

A milestone that once seemed insanely out of reach.

But what started as a course assignment has fuelled my professional development over the past three years, each edition serving as a weekly reflection prompt and picture window to share my journey with you.

Despite how challenging it can be, I still feel like writing is something I get to do.

A huge part of my enjoyment stems from having a writing ritual I look forward to.

So in honour of my 150th anniversary, here’s why I encourage you to create a writing ritual—plus my tips on how to get started.

Why I Encourage You to Write Consistently

There are five reasons:

1. You will enhance your self-awareness

2. You will sharpen your thinking

3. You will boost your creativity

4. You will be more articulate

5. You will feel calmer

The last benefit—you will feel calmer—is the most underrated.

But by virtue of the other four, you’ll be less overwhelmed by jumbled thoughts.

Don’t just take my word for it though. There are plenty of successful people who describe writing as gasoline accelerating their careers.

Wes Kao’s Inspiring Example

Wes Kao co-founded Maven after co-founding the altMBA with legendary author and entrepreneur Seth Godin. I first came across Wes through Twitter back in 2021 when I forayed into the online course space.

Since then, one of my biggest career highlights has been working with Wes’ team on the Maven Course Accelerator.

It was an invaluable opportunity to learn from some of the best when it comes to marketing, communications, and teaching.

Wes’ newsletter recently crossed a whopping 50,000 subscribers and prolific teacher that she is, Wes took the opportunity to impart more wisdom:

If there’s one thing you take from Wes’ post, I hope it’s this:

“For years, I wrote to a small audience and had no social presence. I pretty much wrote into the void—and I’d do it all over again.”

Metrics That Matter

As someone who just crawled my way back to 500 subscribers three years and 150 editions into my weekly writing ritual (after cutting my list in January), I’m clearly not “metrics-driven” either.

I haven’t been deterred from drumming ahead with my writing by a lack of likes, comments, or shares.

The metrics that have mattered to me are:

1. How often am I publishing?

2. How much am I enjoying myself?

3. How much am I improving over time?

If, like me, you’re writing for yourself rather than a business, you decide what metrics matter. So don’t lose heart if you’re publishing into the void.

Now, before we get into how to create a writing ritual, there are two vital things to understand:

1. Forcing Functions

My biggest takeaway from Write of Passage, the online writing course and community I joined in Fall 2021, was from editor extraordinaire Michael Dean.

In two words amplified by alliteration, “The Dean” nailed a concept facilitators had been dancing around in description for weeks:

“Forcing functions.”

From day one of the course, there'd been a huge emphasis on the need to hit ‘Publish’ each week and project our latest article into cyberspace (a terrifying prospect for all of us new to “writing in public”).

Without a weekly deadline to “show our work,” it would be too easy to delay hitting ‘Publish’ indefinitely.

A common misconception about writing—and learning in general—is the more time you spend on one iteration of something, the better you’ll become at your craft. When in reality, beginners are better off doing multiple iterations in short succession.

If you drag out your first project by tinkering with different aspects, you end up wasting time on insignificant details because early on, you don’t have a good sense of how to edit.

By contrast, by focusing on robust repetition, your brain naturally starts spotting patterns. That’s where the magic unfolds. You develop an eye for what to stop doing versus what to double down on.

But you need a “forcing function” (i.e., a recurring deadline) to get those reps in.

Here’s a short parable to reinforce what I mean.

2. The Parable of The Pots

“The Parable of The Pots” is the story of a professor who wanted to identify the quickest route to progress. And so, he ran an experiment.

The professor divided his pottery class into two groups. Group A was instructed to produce one flower pot over several weeks and do their best to make it perfect. Group B was instructed to produce several pots in that same timeframe and work on getting better each time.

Now, pause for a moment.

Which group do you think produced the best pots by the end of the period? Really dig into why you think Group A or Group B.

Okay, ready for the grand reveal?

Drumroll…

In the end, Group B significantly outperformed Group A. Why? Because they practiced, got feedback, and iterated with each try.

With that in mind, here’s how you can start a weekly writing ritual.

How to Start & Sustain a Writing Ritual

A writing ritual must be in service of something.

And based on my 150 weeks of publishing, I can attest that “writing in public” is a phenomenal way to stay accountable, hone your skills, and attract like-minded people.

Hence I suggest you frame your writing as a “publishing practice.”

Here’s how to do that in two simple steps.

Step 1: Sort Out The Practical Stuff

Here are 10 tips to make your publishing practice a long-term success (so you can avoid quitting like most people):

1. Pick your “forcing function.” In other words, decide on your publishing frequency. My suggestion is weekly or barring that, every two weeks. If 1-2 week deadlines strike you as too short, then I challenge you to reduce your scope and aim for smaller outputs more frequently. The higher the output, the faster you’ll learn (think of The Parable of The Pots).

2. Pick your platform. I recommend Substack as it’s free, easy to use, and has a fantastic community of readers and writers.

3. Form an accountability pod with 3-4 writer friends. Writing groups of 4-5 people tend to be the sweet spot as they’re not “too crowded” and you avoid the risk of derailing your group if 1-2 people drop off. Ideally, you want to choose people who will commit to at least 1-3 months of supporting each other. The first few months are the hardest so you want people who are in your corner and vice versa.

4. Agree on which day to publish each week and commit to publishing at least 5 editions. It takes 30 days to cement behaviour change so give yourself a fair chance at making your ritual stick. Get everyone to commit to publishing on the same day to help you stay accountable. Oftentimes, people feel scared to hit ‘Publish’ when ironically, most people aren’t reading their stuff. By publishing together, you get a confidence boost and can even do fun New Year's-like countdowns to celebrate those early wins.

5. Pick 1-2 newsletters you want to emulate. Deciding on a format for your weekly posts can be daunting when you’re starting from a blank page. But no one’s expecting you to come up with a revolutionary format (especially out of the gate), so instead think about newsletters you want to channel. Start by trying to recreate them with your content. Keep experimenting until you find your style.

6. Commit to writing about a topic. Pick one focus area so you don’t get stuck overthinking what to write about each week. If you find it hard to stick with the topic, you’re free to pivot as you like. The important thing is to keep writing.

7. Schedule “sacred hours” to write and edit. Once you decide on your publishing cadence, you need to work backwards to figure out how you’ll honour it. That means carving out blocks in your schedule to get your writing and editing done. Initially, your writing and editing will be slow. But if you push through and keep publishing, you’ll speed up gradually over time. Within months and years, you’ll see huge leaps in efficiency.

8. Set aside 30-60 minutes for peer feedback pre-publishing. Figure out the best way to provide peer feedback. The simplest way is to partner people up or if you’re an odd number, assign each person someone’s work to edit. Use Google Docs to make comments on the structure by emphasizing what works and what could be better. I also recommend using the Write of Passage “CRIBS” framework where you pinpoint elements that are Confusing, Repetitive, Interesting, Boring, and Surprising. Elements that are Confusing, Repetitive, or Boring need to be fixed, whereas elements that are Interesting or Surprising are worth doubling down on. By providing feedback, you’ll develop a keener eye for editing your own work so I can’t emphasize the benefit of making time for this enough. You can also talk through sticking points if that’s easier and you have the time.

9. Engage with your pod members’ posts once published. Be each other’s biggest champions to keep going by liking and commenting on each other’s posts. This helps kickstart engagement and increases the likelihood of others doing the same for you.

10. Don’t make excuses. Aside from Tip 1 (Pick your “forcing function,” i.e., publishing frequency), this is the most important. Having a busy week, the disbandment of your accountability pod, or any other relatable reason for not hitting your weekly deadline is just that—relatable. But when it comes to commitment and having the discipline to hit your goal over and over again, week after week? Aim to be inspirational.

Step 2: Give Your Ritual a “Home”

With my 10 tips in mind, designate a space to get your writing done the same way you would step onto a yoga mat to begin a class.

Make the area as cozy and beautiful as possible.

My designated writing space is in my living room where I have big windows overlooking the nature beyond them and beautiful architecture (including a fireplace) that makes me reminiscent of living in Paris.

My go-to beverages to make my writing sessions extra cozy are coffee in the morning or early afternoon, and tea any other time of day.

I love tea time wisdom

The more inspiring your writing space is, the happier and more creative you’ll feel. So make your space somewhere you look forward to spending time.

Writing Benefits

“You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.”

—Steve Jobs

My writing delves into the personal more than the practical so it makes sense my readership is modest. Against conventional wisdom, I write what I’m compelled to write rather than beginning with my audience in mind.

But there’s a reason I write this way—a bunch of dots I hadn’t connected until I started writing my first book on September 8th.

Book Bonus

My book is about my first overseas move (to London in 2014) and my writing style is similar to how I’ve been sharing my journey in my newsletter.

That means all of my writing—over the past 150 weeks—has been in service of my book. I’ve been putting in the reps and building up the writing and editing muscles I’ll need to get my book across the ‘Publish’ line.

If that weren’t a big enough return on investment, I’ve also been fortunate to gain recognition from peers and role models.

Recognition From a Role Model

Last year, on November 3rd, my day was made by 7 am when I woke up to see my first “Substack Writers Shoutout” was from none other than Wes Kao.

I shared my gratitude in the post below:

Much like publishing 150 newsletters, having someone like Wes endorse my work from the top of the professional playing field felt insanely out of reach three years ago.

But I started writing anyway.

I’ve been publishing week after week in the name of growth and expansion, and I couldn’t be more grateful to myself and my readers for championing me along the way.

I especially want to thank my first five subscribers who’ve been reading since month one back in October 2021: Christin Chong, PhD, Danny Oak, Merott 🐾, Karena, and Danny Naz.

My writing has come a long way since then and your early support had a tremendous impact in propelling me forward. So, THANK YOU. Truly.

Here’s to the next 150 and seizing more of what feels insanely out of reach.

Have a wonder-full week,

Alexandra