Another way of putting it is that for me, blogging is giving me some structure right now that I find useful.
Blogging daily enforces some measure of discipline on my time. Then I build the habit of putting serious effort into something every day, even in the absence of a job. The fact that it's intrinsic is also quite empowering. And if I want to be satisfied with what I write, I need to push myself and write about things that are difficult for me, i.e. new or complex ideas. Especially since I'm using this time to reflect, that means thinking about my values, my work habits, and my long-term career goals. When I look at my cumulative posts I can see that I've done some creative and satisfying. And these posts are also artifacts I can share with others, so there's a social element too.
In the absence of that, especially with my new glut of free time, I could see myself falling into the trap of not really doing anything. Maybe not immediately, but over time. And while that's certainly not a bad place to be, it's not where I want to go. So there's a protective element to this too; if I break the routine, I'll know immediately that something has gone astray.
Blogging daily enforces some measure of discipline on my time. Then I build the habit of putting serious effort into something every day, even in the absence of a job. The fact that it's intrinsic is also quite empowering. And if I want to be satisfied with what I write, I need to push myself and write about things that are difficult for me, i.e. new or complex ideas. Especially since I'm using this time to reflect, that means thinking about my values, my work habits, and my long-term career goals. When I look at my cumulative posts I can see that I've done some creative and satisfying. And these posts are also artifacts I can share with others, so there's a social element too.
In the absence of that, especially with my new glut of free time, I could see myself falling into the trap of not really doing anything. Maybe not immediately, but over time. And while that's certainly not a bad place to be, it's not where I want to go. So there's a protective element to this too; if I break the routine, I'll know immediately that something has gone astray.