In the 10 months since its creation, there have been 70 posts on this blog, with topics ranging from pirates and Intelligent Design to a brief explanation of the Enron scandal (in under 500 words, no less). Yet my posting schedule is even more varied than topics covered, with September and October 2006 having 3 each and January and February of this year having 11 each.
March has been a slow month: with only 4 posts so far I’ve found myself wondering what has caused this downturn. It’s definitely not a lack of inspiration, as in the last few days alone I’ve read articles in the media that I would like to comment on and have even written full posts on a number of subjects that I just don’t want to ‘publish’. It’s not a lack of motivation either - I enjoy writing here and consistently look forward to doing so. So if it’s not these - the two main obstacles to writing - then what is it that’s causing this slump?
I believe that the problem lies in the fact that this website has no identity - it concentrates on no particluar subject(s) and has no defined ‘purpose’. It has no ‘mission statement‘ and without this, I have no focus when writing. I have never stopped and considered what this site is attempting to achieve - did I create it for business or pleasure, and what were my reasons for doing so? Do I write about what I’m interested in, or what I think you’re interested in? Who visits, and who do I want to visit, this site? These questions have to be answered so that I can produce my blog’s mission statement.
I did not create this site to make money online; I created it for friends, for family, and for myself. It’s not a business venture; it’s a place where I can be contacted conveniently; a place where people can see my work and find out what I am currently doing; and also a platform for me to construct thoughts on topics that interest me. I’m not trying to break into the Technorati 100 or pay my rent from this, I want to improving my writing and communication skills by writing informative, and sometimes amusing, articles. I want to portray my personality on subjects and topics I am interested in and would like to discuss. Therefore, my mission statement is:
Through LloydMorgan.co.uk, I hope to inform and entertain by giving a novel, yet personal, take on topics that interest me personally, and projects that I am working on.
No, it’s not profound and not exactly ‘clear-cut’, but it’s exactly what I want - it’s enough to keep me focused - at least temporarily - as I know exactly what my interests are. Currently they are personal development; science and technology; business; and politics. These may change, and this statement allows for that - I don’t want to lock myself into one subject!
You’ll notice some changes as I experiment to find my niche and attempt carve my own little alcove into the Internet. While I do that, why don’t you discover your mission statement? For your blog; your career; or life in general… what else can this be applied to? It’s definitely helped me, and it’s only been a few hours since I ‘discovered’ it.