How I convinced my sneaky brain to post on Medium

Why can’t I finish one of these damn stories I keep starting?

I blame it on my brain. “Brain” is skilled at the idea part. Brain pops up interesting little insights regularly. Idea generation is a safe and fun thing Brain knows how to do. And I reward Brain with quick hits of happiness for all these idea gems.

I have started dozens of stories hoping to polish them to share on Medium. At this point, I’ve accumulated hours of writing. Days even. And yet none of these stories have made it onto Medium. And I want them up there in all their digital glory.

So, here I am. Ready to shift that. “Brain, I’m on to you. My heart wants to finish one of these stories. Don’t hold me back. I’m going to force us into posting something on Medium!”

From the beginning, here’s my meandering path to finally posting something new and true on Medium.

1. Create a Medium account — a fine place to start.

I created this account a while ago. And yet I’ve posted nothing after having the account for so years. Is the guilty feeling that I should post on Medium weighing me down? Nah, not really. I am just busy “doing other stuff” and not making it a priority. In the meantime, it waits for me to be ready. “Brain, you’re off the hook on this one.”

2. Read stuff on Medium.

I definitely have this one covered. I enjoy reading articles on Medium. Hmm, is this a problem? Popular (thousands of hearts) and well-written (professional writers, maybe even with editors) stories are my typical reading. These stories are insightful. Sometimes amazing. And also daunting. Does reading other Medium articles hold me back from getting my first article posted? A little. On the other hand, I have seen plenty of articles on Medium that are marketing crap or poorly written. I can certainly come up something I’m more proud of than that. “Yes, Brain, we can do this.”

3. Post something I think is cool from my company blog.

Last fall, I imported an article from my company blog onto Medium. With that post, I established my presence on Medium. “Yeay, Brain, we did something!” One of my work friends even clicked the green heart. This was exhilarating for a day or two. I linked to my Medium version of the article on twitter and even Facebook. It only received a few reads. Then the “shiny-fun-factor” wore off. Still, that article is up there. At the time, I thought that article would be the start of a productive writing pattern. With little support or feedback, it didn’t propel me to push on. “Brain, let’s not set unrealistic goals and then get depressed when they aren’t achieved. Posting is the goal. Not being in control is okay. Let go, please.”

4. Track my article ideas and notes.

I like spreadsheets. I like organizing things. So, I started tracking my insightful nuggets and story ideas on a spreadsheet. (Google Sheets, by the way.) I even put ideas on the sheet regularly. As of today, I’ve trapped 47 different topics in the past month. I don’t strictly need this list in order for my first article to go up. Sneaky Brain likes it because it feels like progress without pushing out of the comfort zone. Still, it’s useful. “Brain, this one is fine. Let’s keep writing down the ideas.”

5. Write some drafts. Some very drafty drafts.

The longest draft I wrote from that list of article ideas is 921 words. That’s long enough to say something. I clicked out some words out in a Google Doc. I pushed myself to keep it real. I didn’t worry about the length or cohesivness. I just captured my thoughts. Once contained, they don’t have to bounce around in my head. Or nag at me, reminding me not to forget them. Or layer with me disappointment that all these good ideas will be lost. “Brain, this seems good too. Look, we are writing shit down!”

6. Share a short personal insight on Facebook.

Last week I was so excited about one of my insights that I posted a long entry on Facebook. Initially, I thought I’d slap up a sentence or two — which is all too easy to do on Facebook. But without some context, the comment was flimsy. So I added more to make it cogent. I even found a photo that visualized my concept. I was so excited. I just put some heartfelt writing out there in the world for people to see. And it was awesome. I could visualize this happening on Medium. “Okay, Brain, we’re getting closer to the end goal.”

7. Create some guidelines for myself.

Feeling closer to achieving my goal, I decided I need just one little more push to get to the finish line: rules. Here’s what I came up with:

• Keep it simple. Pick a simple topic and stick to it when I write.
• Let it be short. It’s going to be just fine if it’s short. In fact, maybe it has to be no more than 1,500 words.
• Know it’s okay to keep starting the other writing sketches. As I mentioned, my mind keeps suggesting things to me. “Alright, Brain. I’m listening. See that, I’m writing them down. Keep sending them!”
• Pick something that flows. Trying to do a comprehensive, thoroughly researched article is just not a good idea. Something I can easily write about from personal experience is right for me.
• Try to finish it in one sitting. I thought a deadline might be a good idea. However, that’s tricky.
• Aim for excellence, not perfection. Worrying about it being “just so” is only going to hold me back.

8. Get out of bed when I wake up at 2am.

My best time to write is between 2am and 4am. Yes, that’s right. My house is completely quiet. The toddlers are sleeping. My sofa is comfortable. I have a laptop with a strong battery. Okay, it may not necessarily be my best time to write so much as my only time to write. Nevertheless, I took advantage of it and started this story. “Brain! It’s working. Words are written!”

9. Make sure it even matters.

Actually, hold up. Do I really want to do this? Should this article even be on Medium? Why?

• A great medium. I enjoy reading here. It’s lovely, elegant and simple.
• Easier than a personal blog (too much upkeep). More appropriate than company blog (I figure this stuff will run the gamut of insight, personal, work, anything).
• Powerful to express myself. It’s a powerful thing to speak from the heart. And words are my preferred medium. I’m not yet the eloquent speaker I hope to be.
• Clarity for myself. Clarity and vision come from pulling the ideas from their wispy state into something tangible.
• Contribute. I hope that something I have experienced and share will bring insight and light to someone else.

“Yes” to all of the above. Yes, it matters. Yes, I really want to do this! “Like I said, Brain, I’m on to you. I see you sending me on that tangent. Now, let’s get back to work.”

10. Try not to give a fuck if anyone reads or likes what I write.

I know fear slows me down. It will stop me cold. Remember, that article I mentioned re-posting a while back? It received just one little green heart. That personal Facebook stuff I shared? One comment. Sharing heartfelt ideas is scary. But who am I posting this for anyway? Right now, I’m posting for me. So, yes, I can (mostly) not care. “Dearest Brain, I will not be stopped by worrying if my writing is good enough. I won’t wonder if anyone will read it. Or if anyone will even like it. (And, I can use “fuck” on Medium, right?)”

11. Write.

Time to write. “You and me, brain. Dump your ideas. Right here. Right now.” Did I write from the heart? Is it enough? Did I write what’s true? Yes. Focus. Write, write, write until the rest of my day starts.

12. Uh oh. See #7 (my guidelines) and #10 (I’m doing this for myself).

I wrote last night, and didn’t finish the article before heading out to the office. At first I was excited about my accomplishment. Then the shininess wore off and I thought I should put away this draft. I thought it was trite. I should start a new one. Something that matters. And then, I realized: “Wait a second. Remember, I’m not supposed to care what they think. I’m not doing this for them. I’m doing this for me. Pshaw, sneaky Brain. I see what you’re doing.” And with that, I’m back.

13. Check if my draft is still good enough.

A couple more days have passed. The draft is still saved in Medium. It’s 90% finished and not published. “Not again! I won’t let this happen again, Brain!” Time to edit and finish. Go, go, go.

14. Ready to publish?

Yes. I am so ready. The story is for me. I’m proud of it. It’s perfectly imperfect. That sounds just right. “Watch this, Brain. I’m about to press the Publish button.”