Now that I've got more free time, I need to come up with a constructive way to spend it. I set up this blog thinking it'd help me improve my writing, even if it lacked a real focus. Much of the advice I see about blogging says to pick a specific topic and focus on it. Good examples of people doing that are all over the place. In fact, I'd say that every successful blog is focused on one topic. The blogs I just linked to are, in order, about cycling in Portland, practical personal finance, productivity, and odd shit found on Etsy. Anyway, the question remained: What to write about?
At first I figured I'd write about radio since that's the world I've devoted myself to. But that wasn't very focused. Then I came across this article by Glen Stansberry about keeping a work diary. The general idea is that it's difficult to measure progress (whether in your career or anywhere else) if you don't record it. I'd considered keeping a log my creative work to show potential employers, but this is different. This is more about telling a story.
A little later in the day I tweeted @NPRjobs to recommend the work diary article and tell them that I was considering doing something similar. Lillian Karabaic saw the tweet and wrote to me:
Totally following @alexmontjohn's work diary. As someone who's long been interested in working in radio, it's fascinating. Keep it up, Alex!
And then it all came together. I decided that I'd write about my own professional development. It'll be good practice for me and could become a resource to anyone else who's trying to make it into radio.
So there you have it. A blog post, a tweet, and a whole new way to devote myself online.