I Love Writing Daily, but it Costs Me Too Much Energy

Ew. The last thing I want to do right now is to write this article.

My right eye is in pain as I had eye surgery yesterday. I feel tired, mentally and physically. And I think my brain’s outputs cannot produce insightful outputs for anyone right now.

So far, so my feelings. But feelings are not facts.

And I know that the most successful people in the world manage to bring some distance between themselves and their feelings.

So I am sitting on the couch, typing the words you read right now. (hi!)

Einstein wouldn’t have mattered if…

And I do so because of my habits.

Habits! People dedicate whole careers to that topic. And not without reason. Most actions we perform in a day are based on a subconscious default. So habits have a massive impact on people’s entire lives.

And if my habitual default was seeking pleasure over discomfort, I would be chilling on the bed, watching Netflix. Instead, I write. I have cultivated consistency and courage as my habits. I create, also when it feels shit.

And of course, I am far from perfect.

But those two things (let’s repeat: consistency and courage) are two of the most propelling habits people can possess.

Screw competence and intelligence.

If you don’t show up regularly in a bold way, no one will ever know or remember you. No matter if you’re Einstein.

What we got wrong about ‘passion’

That’s why I write daily. I don’t finish an article daily, but I am consistent with the habit of writing.

80% of the time, it’s hard for me.

20% of the time, I have genuine fun.

Writing is one of the biggest passions I have. So why does it feel so bad for a vast share of the time?

I think that’s perfectly normal, and passion is sold fully wrong. “If your work is your passion, you will feel as if you have retired early.” This is the narrative we hear in so many places.

It tells us that passion means endless comfort. It means things never feel hard. And that’s bullshit!

Have you ever heard about anything that’s not hard and leads to greatness? Or feelings of deep satisfaction? Yeah, the latter may be drugs. And they normally lead to addiction and very bad health outcomes.

The long-term dopamine of doing hard things

So I am a passionate runner. In most of my runs, I don’t have a crazy amount of fun. But I receive a deep sense of purpose, progress, and I gather knowledge.

So maybe ‘passion’ is not something we should say and hope for a dopamine rush. Maybe it’s something that brings long-term rewards and still builds on some uncomfortable actions.

So is writing daily.

Most times, I don’t want to write.

And when I then, finally, publish a piece that people read and interact with — I feel a deep sense of pride and purpose that no short-term dopamine spike or Netflix series could ever produce.

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