Since 2007, every year, Tony Stubblebine publishes an article on things he feels grateful for. Except, sometimes, he’s late. 

A couple of days ago, he published the one for 2024—the year before this one. As I dove into his archives, I noticed he’d aggregated some years—one article might contain three or four years’ worth of gratitude.

Honestly, I loved this. Tony’s approach makes a statement: publishing on time, every year, isn’t the point. Practicing and sharing gratitude is the point. The annual format and schedule is a liberating rule that helps make that happen.

I’ve often published many of these posts late (in fact, this is the first punctual one in a couple of weeks). I have largely made peace with it, though the tardiness does crush my soul a little bit—especially if it drags on.

Then, I remember, the only prosecutor coming after my claim that I write every day is in my mind. Writing every day is not the point; it’s merely a structure that works for me.

The point is to practice writing. It’s to have fun. Writing helps me think; actually, it’s how I think. I practice letting go of preciousness, and to work with whatever time and energy I have. 

The point is to be happy. It’s to look for pockets of the day, and to try new approaches to writing. It’s to actually make something. It’s to focus on the inner game. It’s to remember not to label an idea as good or bad.

So, why every day? Because if I didn’t do it every day, I would eventually stop doing it. I have found Andy Warhol’s adage very relatable, “Either once only, or every day. If you do something once it’s exciting, and if you do it every day it’s exciting. But if you do it, say, twice or just almost every day, it’s not good any more.”