Being always in the flow could be exhausting, both physically and creatively. Take periodic breaks to reflect on your path, and be prepared to lay out a new road. You cannot use a network when you need it. To have it tomorrow you need to prepare it today.

I feel like I have nothing to write about because of the calendar. Christmas Eve, you’re not supposed to be working unless you have to. The pressure is lower. You think about the year turning to an end. And what a year.

When I took the latest challenge about publishing every day for a month, I had a specific goal, the intention to tell the lessons learned while writing privately for a year. I kept on writing until today for an extra week. Still, I felt the inertia of the substantial direction: “writing about writing,” and I was so in a good pace that any topic distracting me from that focus almost annoyed me.

So I am asking myself, am I writing about writing forever?

I don’t think so.

Writing is a medium, a means to an end. It helps to clarify my thinking, and that is the best benefit I’ve got so far. But am I going with the flow every day? I am quite tired of improvising and rushing the daily article “because I have to do it”. It’s still a good exercise, don’t get me wrong, and I am proud of my habit. But I want more.

I want to create bricks to stack into buildings. The atomic essays were perfectly fitting this goal: one topic, one page with one repeatable format plus one abstract, iconic illustration. I discovered a great formula that I wasn’t looking for.

But now, I don’t feel like keeping on writing about writing. I have other areas to explore. For instance: design and all its applications; education, teaching, learning; mentoring, coaching, and facilitation. On top of all of them, I always stumble upon Systems Thinking and Critical Thinking with a few trips down the Scientific Thinking road.

So, what am I missing? Why today’s “atomic essay” is not flowing?

Because today, it’s reflection day.

Today I am finally stopping for a moment and reflecting on my current path. A lot changed; a lot I have changed. If I want to be intentional, I need to do reflections like these and, since I have this new custom, I like to do it aloud, here, in public.

What’s going to happen tomorrow is the question I need to ask myself today.

What’s the prompt that will inspire me for the next atomic essay?

See you tomorrow, then.