On March 12th 2022, I started writing online, taking part in my first ship30for30 cohort; this is my 100th Atomic essay.

At the time, I had already tried to write daily in January as a new year resolution. There was no structure, no accountability in my first attempt, and despite having more time than in the last few days, it felt a lot harder. But how hard can it be? It's just writing.

I did not have the proper constraints.

What happened during my first attempt?

After ten consecutive essays in January 2022, I missed my first, and after missing a few essays, I slowly gave up on the idea of getting to 30.

I was trying to get good before getting started. Writing took longer than one hour, and I did not have that time. Perfectionism and lack of clarity added an extra hurdle.

I did not know what I was doing, but a few months later, I got the chance to join ship30for30.

One of the cohort's most helpful values was in the selection and sequencing

The cohort's constraints on the process allow you to think about one thing at a time.

During my January attempt, I was juggling too many aspects of writing. Being guided through different elements in isolation made the process less overwhelming. Seeing the puzzle pieces shown in the correct order made the learning curve seem more manageable.

One step at a time, I have surprised myself by gaining a more profound sense of clarity.

Finding simplicity in your writing will help you

Trying to break down complex thoughts in bite-sized essays is hard.

As a PhD student, I got used to being rewarded for using mouthful words and unnecessary jargon. Unsurprisingly, practising expressing myself with simplicity, all my other writing improved. Also, my thinking improved.

The clearer my writing gets, the clearer my thinking is.