One year ago today I started writing these daily emails. Since then, I have missed only a single day, due to a technical snafu (I actually wrote that day, but it wasn’t published. Opps!)

In that time, this list has grown to over 200 subscribers (you should subscribe, too!), and I’ve sent over 40,000 individual emails.

I don’t want to just mark this with some dry stats, though. I want to offer some insights and observations about the experience, and perhaps encourage you to consider doing something similar.

In no particular order, here are some of my thoughts on the topic, and maybe some advice if you ever decide to do something similar:

• Writing daily is much easier than what I did before, which was writting ad-hoc posts. Something about the routine, and expecation of writing every day makes it easier. Also, the shorter format helps reduce the pressure I often otherwise feel for a more “complete” post.
• I love getting feedback from my readers!
• My general rule, which I do occasionally violate (today for example): Make only one point per day. If I’m ever tempted to make more than one point, I try to make it a multi-day theme.
• Don’t worry too much about sharing a complete idea or conclusion. It’s okay to share a half-baked idea sometimes.
• Most days I have many more ideas I could write about than I actually do.
• I keep a list of future topics, and it was very useful when I was getting started, but the longer I do this, the more I ignore it. See point above: I’m finding new ideas to write about all the time. Sometimes 5 in a day.
• I’m frequently surprised by which content gets the strongest reactions.

And finally, if you’re thinking of writing, just start. Don’t worry about typos, or if English is even your first language. Just write. Do it for you. And send me the subscription link or web site. I’d love to subscribe!