image from Curisoity Collective week 2 session

Moving from Experimentation to Commitment

Having successfully tested the waters in the first week, Week 2 was about fully stepping into the practice of consistent publishing. The small-scale experiment had shown me that momentum is built through action, and now it was time to execute the commitment with more intention.

The Challenge of Sticking with It

At the beginning of the week, I was motivated—riding the energy of my initial experiment. But as the days progressed, I started to feel the familiar pull of distractions, resistance, and the internal dialogue that tells you to skip a day. This is where the real work of the experiment began—pushing through discomfort and sticking with the plan.

What Helped Me Stay on Track

• Structuring my writing time: Blocking specific time slots in my calendar helped ensure I wasn’t just writing “when I had time.”
• Focusing on progress, not perfection: Some days, I felt uninspired or short on time. But I reminded myself that publishing something—even if it wasn’t my best—was better than nothing.
• Tapping into the collective: Engaging with the community in the Curiosity Collective kept me accountable and reminded me why I started.

The Unexpected Benefits of Taking Action

By mid-week, I noticed a shift. The daily commitment wasn’t just about publishing—it was changing my relationship with my work. Instead of feeling burdened by the pressure to create, I started embracing the process of showing up. Writing and publishing became a form of active reflection, a way to process ideas rather than just an output for others.

Lessons Learned from ACT Week

1. Discipline trumps motivation – Motivation fluctuates, but commitment keeps things moving forward.
2. Consistency rewires self-perception – The more I published, the more I saw myself as a writer again.
3. Momentum is built, not found – Action creates clarity, not the other way around.

Next Up: REACT – Deciding What Comes Next

With two weeks down, the final step was to assess what worked, what didn’t, and how to refine my approach moving forward. The REACT phase would be about taking stock of the experiment, identifying the impact, and deciding whether to persist, pivot, or pause.

Here is what I posted and share at the end of week 2 when moving into action and reflecting

Last week I started practicing again by posting 3 times last week get back in the flow. While the pact seems simple enough, the power lies in the fact that it requires me to practice reflection, contemplation, the art of writing notes in a notebook, thinking deeply, and then framing into a published piece that could possibly be useful to another person. This is the key element for me to build the time to sit with ideas and flush them out through words and writing.

Day 1: The Four Tendencies and How They Shape Our Productivity (Part 2 of 3) https://coffeeforthebrain.com/the-four-tendencies-and-how-they-shape-our-productivity-part-2-of-3/

Day 2: Rethinking Relationships: Words, Meaning, and Connection (Part 3 of 3) https://coffeeforthebrain.com/rethinking-relationships-words-meaning-and-connection-part-3-of-3/

Day 3: The Power of Words: A Bonus Reflection (Part 4 of 3) https://coffeeforthebrain.com/the-power-of-words-a-bonus-reflection-part-4-of-3/

Day 4: Bringing Productivity & Accountability to Life and Education: A Full-Day PD & Ongoing Support https://coffeeforthebrain.com/bringing-productivity-accountability-to-life-and-education-a-full-day-pd-ongoing-support/

and bonus publication

Ensuring Student Work Authenticity in an AI-Driven World https://open.substack.com/pub/aaronmaurer/p/ensuring-student-work-authenticity?r=bvyn&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Day 5: The Extinction of Experience: Are We Trading Reality for Convenience? Reflection and Thinking Part 1 https://coffeeforthebrain.com/the-extinction-of-experience-are-we-trading-reality-for-convenience-reflection-and-thinking-part-1/

This week’s experiment of publishing content for five days was a return to something I’ve always valued—writing as a practice of reflection, articulation, and connection. While the pact itself was simple—publish something each day—the deeper power lay in the discipline of sitting with ideas, letting them unfold in my notebook or docs or phone notes, voice memos, and shaping them into something that might be meaningful to me and possibly others. More than just hitting “publish,” it was about rekindling a creative process that brings clarity and fulfillment that I have experienced time and time again throughout the years of living.

Plus:

• I followed through on my commitment and completed all five days.
• The process reminded me how much I enjoy writing and sharing ideas.
• The response from long-time readers of my blog was a welcome surprise—hearing from people who have followed my work over the years made me realize how much writing fosters connection.

Minus:

• I felt uncertain about where this writing belongs. My blog has historically been a space for education, learning, and professional insights. While these posts certainly involve learning, they also push into more personal and philosophical terrain, making me question whether they need their own dedicated space.
• Experimenting with LinkedIn as a publishing platform was underwhelming. I had hoped that breaking up the AI-heavy discourse with more reflective pieces would spark conversation, but the response was flat. This reinforced the need to find a more fitting community for these ideas—one where people are eager to engage with deeper reflections.
• The challenge wasn’t writing—it was finding the right home for my writing. The tension between self-expression and platform fit is something I need to explore further.

Next:

• Experiment with different platforms to share this style of writing—Substack or Medium might offer the right blend of creative freedom and community.
• Consider joining a structured writing community or class, possibly one focused on poetry or reflective writing, to experience a different kind of creative growth.
• Continue working on liberating my thoughts—writing more for the sake of self-expression and discovery, rather than worrying about how it will be received.

This experiment wasn’t just about writing—it was about reclaiming the space to think, explore, and share freely. Now, the next step is to refine where and how I share, so I can cultivate a more resonant community around these ideas.