Making Time to Write

In April, I blogged about my belief that focus is the key ingredient in success. In June, I wrote about the importance of setting priorities and recognizing that every choice is a tradeoff.

Since January, when I embarked on my educational adventures — working toward obtaining my CMA accounting designation — I have had to put these lessons into practice every single day. It has taken every ounce of focus I am able to muster to complete five university courses over two terms.

I also wrote about the value of blogging right smack in the middle of my musings on focus. Alas, with such a full schedule, I have had to make difficult choices about how I spend my time. Not surprisingly, blogging keeps finding its way to the cutting room floor.

I certainly don’t regret my decision to make some things priorities, while relegating others to the backburner. But at times, I have found it surprisingly difficult to accept this reality. I was just getting into the groove, and have missed writing immensely!

I am now trying to figure out how (if?) I can squeeze a small amount of time out of my overflowing schedule to put at least some of my swirling thoughts into coherent words, sentences, and paragraphs.

Maybe it’s about finding a convenient way to record my ideas when I have a few minutes here and a few minutes there. Or maybe I need to do certain things more efficiently, to free up a few precious moments (e.g., reading other people’s blogs, which often provide much-needed non-accounting intellectual stimulation).

I’m sure I’m not alone. If you blog, I would love to know where writing falls on your priority list:

• Is it something you carve time out of your schedule for, no matter what?
• Is it a luxury you indulge in only when the stars are perfectly aligned?
• Or do you struggle, like me, to find time — constantly wishing you could write more, but rarely being able to eke out the time and the necessary mental space to get your thoughts down on “paper”?

On the Intrinsic Value of Blogging: Part 1

Everyone is talking about the importance of blogging these days.

If you run a business, you need to blog to build your corporate brand and cultivate engagement with your customers. You can no longer be content with just offering good products and first-rate customer service. No – now you must strive to “add additional value” by providing great content (e.g., tips, advice, comprehensive information about your products, etc.) that engages customers on a deeper level. Companies that do this well are able to move beyond mere financial transactions, effectively fostering customers’ affinity for their brands.

And then there’s the relatively new concept of the “personal brand.” Even if you’re just a regular individual hoping to succeed in today’s global economy, you need to blog in order to build your own unique brand. When potential employers conduct an online search to see what they can uncover about you, you want them to find meaningful content that you’ve created – and over which you have control – rather than just pictures of you partying.

There’s certainly no shortage of “how” and “why” books, blogs, and articles about this type of blogging. Of course, that’s more than likely because money is the primary motivation behind most of these experts’ admonitions:

• You should blog to build your corporate brand, which will help you keep your current customers and attract new ones.
• You should blog to develop your personal brand and build credibility, which will enhance your future job prospects.

I don’t disagree with these assertions at all. In fact, I believe blogging can be an extremely powerful platform for building personal and corporate brands. But I’m worried that people who read this type of advice – sensible though it all may be – only see part of the picture. I fear that these gurus don’t place nearly enough emphasis on the intrinsic value of blogging.

Some might be thinking, “Who is Ryan to write about the merits of blogging, when he has only been doing it for a couple months?”

Don’t worry, I’m under no illusion that I am an authority on the subject. But despite my relative infancy in the blogosphere, I have already derived enormous personal benefit from my rather insignificant efforts to date. And as I’ve begun to map out topics I would like to write about in the future, I can’t help but get excited about the endless possibilities and foresee many years of personal growth as I explore ideas – some old and some new.

I have come to an important conclusion: Even if my blog does little to build my personal brand; even if it doesn’t lead to more pennies in my pocket; indeed, even if no one ever reads what I write, I have no intention of giving up on it. At least, not any time soon.

Over the next few weeks I’m going to delve into why I believe blogging is inherently beneficial.

Why do you blog?

An Unexpected Collision of Mindless Prose and Poetry

Today I wrote an email, just like any of the other 50+ emails I write every day at work.

Except it wasn’t just like every other email!

When I went back to re-read it just before clicking “Send” (which I am wont to do), I realized it was, in fact, a masterpiece. It was a thing of beauty, with a lilt and cadence I fear too few of my emails possess.

I feel compelled to share it with the world:

Today's Poetic Email

If you have had a similar experience — where the mundane has been unexpectedly infused with the ineffable (like Average Adam’s perfect question mark, for example) — please share.

Setting My Thoughts Free

I spent a great deal of time over the past weekend thinking about whether or not blogging is for me. I have decided that it is.

Even though my wife has accused me at times of being overly methodical and meticulous – we’re still in discussions about whether or not these are actually faults  ;) – before I completely throw myself into this, I need to articulate why I’m doing this and what I hope to accomplish.

1.  I think most clearly when I take the time to put my thoughts into writing.

2.  The more writing I am doing at a given point in my life, the better able I am to verbalize my thoughts in face-to-face interactions.

Compelling though these two motives may be, it was a third that, in the end, actually pushed me over the edge, giving me the final impetus to go for it:

3.  Throughout my life, I have been told that I have some great ideas that really should be shared with the world. The message has been consistent and ubiquitous, coming from a wide range of people – many of whom have known me well, and many of whom have hardly known me at all.

I’m not always convinced of the value of what I have to offer. (I am more than a little embarrassed by the fact that I’ve only just recently figured out what I want to do when I grow up … not really something for a 34-year-old to brag about!) But nonetheless, I want to start listening to those who’ve encouraged me to put my brain to good use for the betterment of the world.

It is time to set my thoughts free.

While I’m not comfortable pronouncing on the meaning of life vis-à-vis purpose and destiny (more on that in future blogs, I suspect), I can’t shake the sense that, if I can do some small thing that will make the world an even slightly better place, then I should do so.

So, what is this blog about, and where will all this self-expression lead? I have a couple ideas for focused blogs on specific topics, which I hope to undertake in the near future, and which will likely require their own homes. But I consider Ryan’s Ruminations my space for exploring the whole range of what goes on in my head, and sharing my personal journey.

As such, I am giving myself permission to write about anything and everything here. I believe I have some interesting thoughts on everything from my pet peeves and books I’m reading to relationships, religion, and life in general – and I’m excited to begin writing about them.

I hope that my thoughts and experiences resonate with at least a few others.