In my post yesterday I introduced #1to31, which is a simple concept that I have developed to help both myself and others with their blog writing.  I have noticed in my discussions on #blogchat that sometimes people struggle to get their thoughts out into basic posts.  On some days I have found this to be the case for myself as well.  I often write from the place of personal experience and tell stories.  These posts work well, however I would like to be able to increase the type and variety of posts that I write.  That’s where #1to31 comes in.  I would love you to be part of it as well!

How #1to31 works:

• #1to31 posts are simply collections of ideas, strategies, suggestions, tips,  links or other interesting items.  The date that they are posted on corresponds to the number of items included in the post.  For example, today it is February 6, 2012.  As such this post has 6 main points to it.
• When you share your post online, you include the #1to31 hashtag in the headline; so that similar style posts can be easily found online and via Twitter.
• That is pretty much it!  You can write about whatever areas you are passionate about.  The intention is simply to give you a quick framework that you can build a post from.

6 reasons why #1to31 will help you & your blog writing

1. On any given day if you have an idea about what to write – but are unsure where to start; you can simply begin to put your thoughts down quickly and easily – knowing up front how many key points you need to make on that day.  Having such a framework will help you to become clearer and more focused in your writing.
2. You can save the more complex topics for the higher numbered dates. For example….maybe you have a lot of tips or strategies to offer on something.  You can do those kinds of posts later in the month; say the 25th!  That way you can include many more tips, ideas or links.
3. The more of us who participate in #1to31, the more we can share our experiences related to writing posts using a format such as this.  By talking and sharing, we can learn from one another.
4. The sky is the limit.  You can use #1to31 no matter what your blog is about.  It is about giving you a fun and friendly way to build out your blog posts.
5. Blogging is all about community.  Those who use #1to31 can help one another out by posting comments, perhaps guest blogging on one another’s sites or sharing links to the posts that are developed via the various social networks. Remember,  what goes around comes around!  By helping fellow bloggers, you will grow your own site and online community at the same time.
6. #1to31 posts can be written as often as you like.  Perhaps you want to run a series for a whole month by writing daily posts.  On the other hand, maybe you just use the #1to31 framework when you are finding it difficult to get your thoughts in order.  You decide what works best for you!

That is it!  I encourage you to jump in and write a #1to31 post this week!  Once you have it posted, please leave a link to it in the comments section below. Let’s get going and have some fun with all of this!

 

At the beginning of 2012, I decided that I would participate in 12 in 12 aka #12er on Twitter, an exciting initiative that @Fitarella launched to encourage people to commit to consistently doing one thing every day for one month at a time.  The idea was that each month you might pick something slightly different to commit to.  The overall goal, though, was to experience the true reward of daily practice.  I actually loved the idea so much that my family also took part, with each of us committing to a different area for the month of January.

Here is what we agreed on as we started 2012:

• Emma – 15 minutes of daily activity that would keep her body moving.
• Brittany – Eating healthy.
• Adam – Using lego to be extra creative.
• @bobhcc – Eating mostly Paleo.
• Me – @boydjane –  Writing 500 words per day.

As a family we had fun with it.  Certainly we weren’t perfect with our practice but most importantly we tried.  We talked about it and over time we felt the benefits of committing and following through.  For myself, the value of getting back into writing on a regular basis became incredibly empowering.  It enabled me to once again realize the true passion that I have for getting the thoughts out of my head and onto the screen (or paper).

With February now underway, I have had mixed thoughts about where I might next set my focus for #12er.  The truth is that I have actually become incredibly reluctant to let go of my daily practice of writing. You know what? That means that the concept of practice really does work!  As such, it looks like I will continue with writing 500 words or more per day throughout 2012.  For February, in addition to my continued writing, I have decided that I am going to also practice daily acts of generosity.  I like how I feel when I give to others – with no expectation of anything in return.  I am also encouraging my family to stick with me on this, by having them choose some new areas to focus continued practice throughout the month.

Introducing #1to31

As I have spent time writing, one of the things I have learned is that I would like to easily be able to incorporate my thoughts into more regular blog posts.  I love story telling when I write, however I also know that I need to create a bit more variety on my blog.  To help me with this, I have developed the #1to31 framework which will help me to create interesting and insightful blog posts a bit more easily.  Of course, I will still continue with my posts that tell stories about life, work and passions as well.

How #1to31 will work…

Every time that I write a post that fits within the #1to31 framework I will use that #hashtag on Twitter to help others track and discuss the stories.  #1to31 posts will simply be collections of ideas, strategies, suggestions, tips,  links or other interesting items.  The date that they are posted on will correspond to the number of items included in the post.  For example, this coming Monday will be February 6, 2012.  As such the post that I write for that day will include 6 ideas, strategies, suggestions, tips,  links or other interesting items.  Of course, I won’t release a #1to31 post every day –  but I do promise that these posts will become a regular part of this blog. Here is the best part though, I will be encouraging other bloggers to do their own posts using the #12in12 framework as well!  I will share more about that on Monday!

So keep coming back to check out what #1to31 will include.  I more than welcome your thoughts about the kinds of posts that I might write about in 2012 using the #1to31 framework!  I also encourage you to connect with @Fitarella to learn more about how 12 in 12 – it might just benefit you as well.