Set Yourself Up for Failure with Rules

I have gradually built up a list of invisible rules for this blog. What are invisible rules? Rules set by the popularity of past posts. Rules that cause writer's block and stage fright. And I hate rules.

Why are they invisible? Because I never stated them to myself but they pop up whenever I have a post idea and 9 times out of 10 lately, the idea gets shelved.

So to disarm them, I will try to investigate them. And maybe then, they will stop messing with me.

• Try to write about site concepts instead of just an individual site for the comparison value.
• If I write about a topic, make sure the post is complete.
• Try to come up with a cute or cryptic title.
• Try to write what hasn't been written before
• If you aren't scrolling, the post isn't long enough.

Well, those are a few. It was so much better when I set a rule for myself of a post a day. It trumped these hidden rules. I was a Nazi about it. And I just sat down and wrote.

I don't have enough time lately to post daily here, but when I do, I mess it up.

So look for some crappy posts coming up to teach me a lesson and break the spell. It is time for evil Stephan to come out and stir it up a bit. Screw it up bad. Well, maybe not bad. But bad enough that I don't sit in the freakin' corner afraid to make a move. A few crappy posts should keep me from taking myself seriously.

I was just one step away from putting plastic over my living room furniture to keep myself from making a mess of it, not realizing that I would never see the cloth again, so why the hell do it.

Damn, I just looked up at the title I originally had written and it just said "Invisible Rules". Changing that now.