The Almost Science Article That Became A Reflection on Steemit Post Strategy: An Article on Patience

I sigh and take a look at my Streemian Scheduled Posts page, the cursor blinking at me defiantly. Next to me in the computer lab at the library a guy is chair dancing his fucking soul out to Mariah Carey videos on Youtube. Next to my computer sits Scott McCloud's Making Comics a book I was perusing earlier.

The plan had been to write a science article about the three branches of life on Earth, to be posted at a later date. But, invariably, I'm only one sentence in and already feeling utterly defeated. The reason? Well, it's sort of a quirk of the Steemit platform. I love writing science and tech articles, but I feel rushed when I do so on the platform. And there's a strong feeling that participating on the platform consistently is always better than not: in other words I feel that I don't dare take the actual time needed to write these articles the way I want to.

I used to write in depth articles about science and tech ideas (as well as lighter ones) for some time, but I stopped because it was tiring and didn't always feel appreciated (although sometimes it most certainly did! And much thanks to those who did support those articles). So I changed recently to a two-post, thoughtful, reflective, journal-like structure that seems to work better for me as far as making posts every day the way I've resolved to.

But there's a part of me that can't help thinking that I should take the other approach, that I should take the week or month or however long to make the really interesting posts that I want to make (how the internet works, how math works or interesting ideas in math and science, coding, etc., etc.). I'm torn, but it would be absolutely heartbreaking to spend an entire month on a project only to have it poorly received. And then there's the feeling of lost time and energy on the platform.

Maybe there's a middle way?

It'd take me longer to both stick to my promise of making two posts while also preparing longer form posts that have to do with things that I'm interested in. The only issue is that I'm a little concerned about burn-out. I do have a penchant for biting off a little more than I can chew and then falling off the wagon.

I've only just barely gotten the two post a day thing down pat, and today I experimented with making more posts than that and sort of learned my lesson. Well, I suppose it wouldn't be all bad to make two shorter form posts after the main ones, but I can't figure out how to do that and continue to deliver value.

I tried posting a picture from around my city as my first short form post, but there are already a ton of people doing that on the platform, many of them from places much more interesting than where I live (though I might continue to experiment with this, there's probably a way I can add better value).

The second post was pretty decent, but I'm already concerned it's somehow not as well focused as, say, this one is. It might just be in my head. There's a pretty strong sense that I could be doing something better (or even significantly better), but damned if I know what it is.

Okay, I think I've come to a conclusion. I dare not do any more than the two posts a day(except Sunday) until I'm sure I've got that down pat. Then and only then should I look at bigger projects going on at the same time. Maybe a month from now, depending on where I'm at, I'll consider it.

As impatient as I am to grow within the platform, nothing is worth burning out. Burning out results in weeks of missed time, which actually hurts my development in the community on the whole. I've been through this cycle a couple of times in my other projects and on Steemit, and it's important for me to finally learn my lesson.

Integrate one thing at a time. First you integrate a new habit or way or thinking or going about things. You make sure that that habit is absolutely built into the fabric of you. Then you integrate a new habit. Then a new one. Many of us (myself included) try to transform our whole lives at the same time and within a short period of time. It's absolutely ludicrous. It's much more preferable that you keep small gains, no matter how small, then that you have large gains initially but lose them all.

The lesson here is patience. Life is a series of marathons, not a sprint. At least when it comes to the things that matter most. So let's all learn a little patience. The future comes in small steps.

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