This is day 3 of a blogging workshop I’m doing with my friend John Saddington.

My optimal writing environment is a coffee shop. I have a local one (coffee mugs are pictured in the sidebar) two blocks away from my day job as a personal trainer. During sections of my day I scoot over there for my writing. I love window seats, but when I’m writing I usually need to bury myself a little deeper into the cafe so I don’t stare out the window. My drink of choice is either a red-eye or a half-full Americano.

After I get my drink and my table, I need a few minutes to clear my mind. A quick check of Twitter, a quick glance of my notebook of items to do for the day so that I can try to keep those things from creeping in as distractions to my writing. Headphones are a must. I love the buzz and chatter of a coffee shop but (depending on the topic) I typically need music where I don’t know the words, often instrumental music to zone into my writing.

As far as the content, I am pushing myself lately to produce an outline first rather than just writing on the fly. I go on tangents. I lose my direction. I confuse even myself, the writer. Not good. This sounds much more professional here than what usually happens. I’m working on a better workflow. I do light editing while I write but I have certainly found that if I can get a draft done, walk away for a few hours or even upwards of a day, then come back to it, I can edit a lot more and get the piece in a better place to publish. I guess this is all part of the deal of becoming a better writer.

As I said yesterday, I have all the tools to blog. I could write on any computer, I could write in TextEdit, Evernote, or the web version of WordPress. But thankfully my writing process is enhanced with my 2011 MacBook Air and Desk. My Mac is an absolute dream to pull out of my bag and open up. Desk is clean and fully functional for my workflow as a blogger. I appreciate how opening Desk is exactly what writers should be doing – sitting at their desk. For decades, writers have pulled a chair up to a physical desk, pulled out paper, a typewriter, then a computer to do their writing. Today we write in apps. And when I open my digital Desk, I’m a writer.

As an exercise specialist, the new year is a big time for us. Resolutions are on many people’s minds. I don’t like resolutions. Personally, I don’t think resolutions work. In fact, Merlin Mann would suggest that you’re “building the habit of unrealistic expectations.” But goals? Goals have power. That’s where great things begin: with a goal. When I talk to my clients about goals, we get very concrete and we the conversation gets serious. I won’t let a client set a “weight goal” or even get away with “I want to lose 5-8 pounds.” No, you need to give me something more defined than that. I want a SMART goal. I resonate with goals in my own life and I work hard to develop the same habit with my clients. So you can imagine how refreshing it was when I met with Judy last week and before I could start the goals conversation, she asked me what my goals were for 2015. 

My answer: write more.

I have soaked up enough knowledge and experience to write a few books. No, that’s not a pat on the back. It’s an admission that I’m a really good collector and a really poor creator. When the words “write more” flowed out of my mouth, I didn’t even hestitate. It’s deep in me. I know that I need to write more, both for the good of my soul and for the good of my business.

I have all the tools. I love writing on my MacBook Air using Desk. While I’m at work (or at a coffee shop in “minimalist mode”) I love writing on my iPad with Editorial. I have plenty of expertise in wellness. I’ve been a certified trainer for almost a decade, coaching longer than that. I have a masters degree in kinesiology; in exercise science I’m well read. What’s next?

“Publish”

– John Saddinton

My writing coach says I need to publish. John probably isn’t the first one to coach writers and bloggers with this powerful word, but his promptings always reach me in very personal ways. And he’s right. I need to sit at my desk for about 30 minutes each day and write. So I’m committing to his 10 Days to a Better Blog writing workshop. One down, nine to go.

Thanks for reading. I’d love for you to join my team for the next ten days. Send me a message and ask me what I’m writing about. Leave a comment. Or jump in and join the challenge. I’d love to hear from you. But either way, thanks for lending me a few minutes of your day.

Sometimes I don’t have the energy to write for myself. Lots on my mind and lots I’d like to unpack and share but don’t quite have the time or energy. Thankfully I have others in my life who have big things to celebrate. One of them is John Saddington and his fantastic indie app, Desk. I was part of the beta testing and so I know many of the struggles and roller coaster of emotions he experienced getting this thing to market. After it went live the drama continued. He was constantly wondering what kind of traction this app would get. I am curious, too. I like the app because I like John. But it’s pricey ($30). And it has decent competitors in the App Store. How does a guy get ahead?

Then last night happened. While John was flying from Austin to Atlanta he got word that his app was being featured in the App Store – instant publicity to 155 countries around the world. You don’t have to be a tech geek to appreciate this. Imagine your product, your team, your services, your business card being published world wide?! If you’re into sales at all, you can celebrate with us the wonderful opportunity John is experiencing.

Our social world is ironically very selfish. We have friends on Facebook and Twitter and all over the place but are we really connecting? Are in tune enough to celebrate when these friends experience big-time victories? Look around your world and find someone else to celebrate. I’ve never seen someone under appreciate a genuine congratulatory pat on the back.