I feel the need to get back into the habit of writing regularly. And I can't think of a better way to do it than to take the 100 Days to Offload challenge a second time.

The 100 Days to Offload challenge is simple: publish 100 posts on your personal blog within one year. You can start any time, you just need to do 100 posts within 365 days. It's simple, but it's not as easy to accomplish as you might think.

I started my first challenge in January 2022 and completed it in December 2022 with one day to spare. There was a stretch of several months where I didn't post at all and had pretty much abandoned the idea. But somehow I found my way back to blogging and earned my spot on the Hall of Fame.

I have written with less consistency since then. Much has happened in my life and in the world. And to be honest, I'm in a worse mental and emotional state now. But looking back, the times when I have felt the best mentally have been the times when I was writing the most. I don't know if my desire to write flowed from or contributed to my good mental health, but I want to see if writing helps me now.

I think writing is good for me in a number of ways.

Writing is intentional. It requires focus, effort, attention. It is not passive.

Writing helps quiet the mind and organize thoughts. Sometimes I have so many ideas and thoughts rattling around in my mind it's difficult to make any sense of them or hash them out. Writing is often a way for me to get those thoughts and ideas in print so I can work through them and see if they actually make any sense.

Writing is a good creative outlet. It allows me to express myself. To dream and wonder in print. Making things and sharing them with others brings meaning and purpose to life.

Writing personal blog posts is almost like keeping a journal. Like blogging, I have never been consistent about keeping a personal journal. But I'm thankful for what little journaling I have done and to be able to read old entries and remember and learn. Everything I post in this blog is captured in my personal Day One journal thanks to IFTTT.

So here's to the next 99 posts as part of my second 100 Days To Offload challenge.

If you have a personal blog, would you like to take up this challenge, too?

Discuss...

#100DaysToOffload (No. 101)#writing