TL;DR: The secret to big achievements isn’t a grand plan, but the courage to take small, joyful steps and sticking to it. My 100-day writing streak started with nothing more than a simple desire to see if I could write again.

Today marks an unexpected but deeply meaningful milestone: Day 100 of consecutive daily writing.

When I sit back and look at the sheer volume of reflection and content created, it seems like a monumental effort. But the truth is, this entire 100-day journey wasn’t born from an aggressive goal or a meticulous 90-day plan. It was born from the power of small habits and the simple, profound joy of writing itself.

The Pure Joy of the Blank Page

I’ve always loved writing. The act of translating chaotic thoughts into clear, structured words brings me a kind of pure joy that few other activities can match. I still vividly recall the exhilaration, many years ago, of setting up my first blog and hitting publish.

Over the years, the consistency waxed and waned. I invested in refining my craft, taking valuable writing lessons (like those from Blogging for Devs) that brought clarity, structure, and a better understanding of how to connect with an audience. This was followed by SEO courses, and for a while, my posts started gaining traction.

But somewhere along that trajectory, I made a choice: I stepped back from chasing the next SEO metric. While valuable, that chase, in a way, took the true, unadulterated joy out of the creative process. It became about keywords instead of connection.

The Return from the Burnout Fog

In the years that followed, work consumed much of my time, and my writing dwindled. Last year, I reached a point that many can relate to. I desperately wanted to write, but I was mentally blocked. My energy was gone. I’ve spoken about my experience with burnout in previous posts.

This year, I decided it was time for a change. I accepted a new role and took a period of time off between jobs. This break was the mental reset I desperately needed. One fine morning, as simple as switching on a light, I decided to revive my blog.

There was no grand plan for a writing streak. There was no social media announcement or internal pressure. I just wanted to write for myself. I wanted to see if I still had the ability to tap into that pure source of joy.

I could. And it felt happy.

The Compound Effect of Showing Up

The next day, I woke up, and did the same thing. More joy. On the third day, I started digging through my archive of topics. It was funny to see how many places I’d saved a list of future post ideas! Thanks to the mental break, the clarity was back, and I was writing again.

On Day 4, I hit a flow state and drafted more than three posts, scheduling them for the next few days. Having a small, comfortable buffer of written content meant that hitting the 7-day streak felt good. Hitting 10 days felt even better. Then 15, then 25, then 30…

And after that, there was no stopping. I wanted to write more. I wanted to feel this consistent, self-motivated momentum. I did it purely for myself, letting the everyday progress and internal stats become my main motivational factor.

This 100-day mark is a testament to the fact that you don’t need a huge leap; you just need the courage to take the smallest first step and the discipline to take the next.