What a Year of Weekly Writing Taught Me

“All of life is a constant education.”—Eleanor Roosevelt, The Wisdom of Eleanor Roosevelt

In December 2023, I set a simple but ambitious goal: write one article a week for an entire year. My intention was deeply personal—to learn something new or deepen my understanding of a topic every week and share that knowledge. Even if the only person who benefited was me, I was fine with that. Today, I’m thrilled to say I accomplished my goal, and the journey was more transformative than I had anticipated.

Committing to weekly writing was not just an exercise in discipline; it became a powerful tool for personal growth, leadership development, and professional success. Reflecting on the lessons I’ve learned, I want to share how this practice can positively impact others.

Benefits of Weekly Writing

Sharpened Time Management and Discipline

To fit writing into an already packed schedule, I developed a structured weekly rhythm that kept me accountable:

• Monday morning: Set the intention to find patterns and themes during the week.
• Wednesday noon: Based on the patterns and themes I was seeing, identify a topic, outline the article, and begin research.
• Friday late afternoon: Write, edit, and refine the article.
• Sunday evening (capped at 20 minutes): Final review and scheduling for publication. If I missed a Sunday evening, I used caught up on Monday mornings.

This disciplined approach forced me to prioritize tasks and make the most of limited time. By blocking specific time slots for each stage of the process, I built consistency without sacrificing other responsibilities.

Honed Listening and Attention Skills

Weekly writing heightened my awareness of patterns and themes in conversations, meetings, and industry trends. To improve my listening, I minimized distractions during discussions by turning off notifications and focusing fully on the speaker in my conversations. I asked open-ended questions like, “What challenges are you facing?” or “What are your priorities this week?” to uncover deeper insights. And, I maintained an Airtable to track potential writing topics. This practice helped me write and connect with colleagues, prospects, and clients on a deeper level.

Enhanced Research Skills

Researching weekly topics required me to:

• Dive into academic papers, industry reports, and case studies.
• Verify facts across multiple credible sources.
• Seek out unique data points and perspectives to add value to my writing.

This process challenged my understanding, encouraged me to consider alternative viewpoints, and deepened my expertise in various subjects.

Clarified and Strengthened Thinking

Writing forced me to distill complex ideas into clear, digestible insights. Working in data, analytics, ML, and AI, I often encounter intricate concepts. Simplifying these for a broader business leadership audience improved my ability to articulate ideas effectively and strengthened my own understanding.

Growth of My Network

An unexpected benefit of this journey was the opportunity to connect with others. Articles sparked discussions with former colleagues, led to podcast invitations, and even opened doors to consulting opportunities. Sharing insights publicly fostered new relationships and reinvigorated old ones.

Techniques That Accelerate Growth

There are two two learning techniques that I relied heavily upon this year as foundational to my writing: the Feynman Technique and Growth Mindset.

Feynman Technique for Simplifying Complex Topics

The Feynman Technique, devised by physicist Richard Feynman, is a powerful learning method that turns information into deeply understood knowledge by teaching it to others. It consists of four steps:

1. Explaining a concept as if teaching a child.
2. Identifying gaps in understanding.
3. Simplifying and organizing the explanation.
4. Optionally, sharing it with others.

This process forces clarity, removes jargon, and ensures true comprehension, enabling the flexible application of knowledge. Feynman emphasized that real understanding goes beyond memorizing labels—it involves breaking ideas apart, reconstructing them, and using them in new contexts, fostering a lifelong growth mindset.

I admit I struggled to remove the jargon, but the greatest value of applying this technique was uncovering gaps in my own understanding.

Growth Mindset

Carol Dweck’s book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success explains how a growth mindset enables personal and professional growth, turning setbacks into opportunities and embracing challenges as steps toward mastery. Dweck’s research on growth and fixed mindsets reveals how our beliefs about intelligence and abilities shape our success. A fixed mindset assumes traits are unchangeable, leading to fear of failure. In contrast, a growth mindset views abilities as malleable, fostering a passion for learning, resilience, and perseverance. Growth mindsets help us build perseverance and empowerment.

Challenges Faced and Overcome

Throughout my year of weekly writing, I faced challenges that tested my resolve, from managing time effectively to ensuring relevance and battling self-doubt. Overcoming these obstacles required a combination of discipline, curiosity, and self-compassion.

• Time Management: Time blocking was the key to overcoming this challenge. By dedicating specific days and times to writing tasks (as detailed above), I avoided the stress of last-minute work and maintained a steady pace.
• Staying Relevant and Adding Value: To stay aligned with audience needs and industry trends, I consumed diverse content, from podcasts to webinars to industry blogs. While in conversations, I listened empathetically to colleagues, prospects, and clients to understand their challenges. And, I continuously questioned my own understanding and approach as I took in new information.
• Overcoming Impostor Syndrome: The most difficult challenge was overcoming self-doubt. I reminded myself that the goal was to add value to just one person, even if that person was me. By focusing on learning rather than perfection, I built confidence over time.

By time blocking, staying deeply attuned to industry trends and audience needs, and reframing imposter syndrome as an opportunity for growth, I was able to stay consistent and find value in the process. Each challenge became a stepping stone, shaping my growth in meaningful ways.

Final Thoughts

Personal and professional growth doesn’t require massive leaps. Small, consistent efforts—like writing weekly—can create profound transformations. This practice sharpened my skills, expanded my network, and solidified my role as a lifelong learner.?

To anyone considering a similar challenge, I say: start small, stay consistent, and embrace the journey. You’ll not only refine your thinking but also inspire growth in yourself and others.

“Do the things that interest you and do them with all your heart. Don't be concerned about whether people are watching you or criticizing you. The chances are that they aren't paying any attention to you. It's your attention to yourself that is so stultifying. But you have to disregard yourself as completely as possible. If you fail the first time then you'll just have to try harder the second time. After all, there's no real reason why you should fail. Just stop thinking about yourself.”―Eleanor Roosevelt, You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life