Last Day of the Month, First Month of the Year
A Shift in Focus: Rethinking My Blog and My Productivity
After a year of writing about productivity, Stoicism, and technology, I’ve realized it’s time for a change. I started making this shift late last year when I noticed that my blog wasn’t gaining the level of engagement I had hoped for.
I followed the conventional wisdom:
- Post two blogs a week, preferably on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
- Stick to the schedule, and the readers will come.
- Engagement will follow.
And to some extent, it worked. Readers did come—just not in the numbers I expected. Maybe I miscalculated. Maybe I relied too much on the idea that consistency alone would be enough. I tried streamlining my process, writing weeks' worth of blog posts in advance, scheduling them out to maintain momentum.
Something about that approach worked, but something about it didn’t.
The Problem with a Niche
Writing about what genuinely interests me should be the goal. But in my effort to carve out a niche, I wonder if I boxed myself in too much. Looking at successful blogs and Substacks, I see a clear pattern: the best ones are laser-focused on a single niche.
So, what’s mine?
I thought I had defined it, but maybe I haven't. Maybe I’m not as sharp or insightful as I once believed. Maybe I’ve been fooling myself all along.
I've spent over a year writing about productivity, but here’s a confession: I haven’t been as productive as I once was. Somewhere along the way, something shifted. Tasks I once tackled with enthusiasm now feel like a struggle.
The Productivity Paradox
It’s a strange contradiction. I have no problem doing the things I *have* to do—taking out the trash, walking the dog, feeding the dog. Those tasks are non-negotiable, ingrained into my routine. My brain has accepted them as things that *must* be done.
And yet, when it comes to the things I *want* to do—writing, drawing, reading—I’ve lost momentum. The spark isn’t there.
Why? I’m not sure.
Maybe I over-optimized productivity to the point where creativity took a backseat. Maybe in trying to write *about* productivity, I lost sight of what made it meaningful in the first place.
What Comes Next?
This realization has led me to rethink my approach. Instead of forcing myself to fit into a predefined niche, I want to explore what excites me, not just what seems like a "smart" blogging strategy. Maybe that means shifting my focus, maybe it means experimenting, or maybe it just means allowing myself the freedom to write without overthinking it.
I don’t have all the answers yet. But I know this: If writing about productivity has become unproductive, then something needs to change.
So here I am, stepping back, reassessing, and figuring out what’s next.
And maybe—just maybe—that’s the most productive thing I can do.