For my first 4.5 years of writing, I was completely, utterly inconsistent. I never lasted longer than 2-3 weeks.
I'd write consistently for a little while, but then completely lose momentum. Every month was the same thing.
I never got anything done. It took me 3 years to write an eBook that took 20 minutes to read. While other writers were writing multiple books, making online courses, coaching businesses, and gaining tons of followers, I felt like a total loser.
I was a joke. No one read my articles. Other bloggers wouldn't even bother responding to my guest post requests.
It sucked. Honestly, they probably just didn't want to work with an inconsistent, amateur writer like me. I kept trying to just sit down and stay disciplined, but I just couldn't. But then something happened:
I moved to South Korea. After I finished grad school, my wife and I decided to quit our terrible corporate jobs, pack our bags, and move to a tiny town in Korea where no one spoke english. There was nothing to do but teach english, eat kimchi, and walk through the park.
I had no more excuses. I had all the time in the world. No more grad school homework, drinks with friends, or long commute to use as an excuse. I knew I had 12 months to learn how to be consistent. Otherwise, my only option after Korea would be to force myself to go back to a terrible 9-5 schedule at another awful job. This was the last chance for my writing.
And honestly?
That changed me. I couldn't stop thinking about how this was my last chance to be a writer. If I wasted this year, that was it. Game over. I would know, deep down, I'd never be consistent. If I couldn't write consistently in Korea, I'd have no choice but to find another terrible job back in America that made me dread waking up every day, forever.
I couldn't help but wonder: could I somehow become consistent? Could I actually be self-disciplined? Was it even possible? The past 4 years looked bleak.
So after a few weeks of deliberating, I did something crazy:
I wrote every single day for a month.