For anyone who follows me on instagram and twitter you will know I am doing the fmsphotoaday challenge. I was inspired by @jobeaz’s daily photos last year and decided to give it go myself for 2014. I am determined not to miss a day and I don’t think I have so far. I’m never going to win any photographic awards obviously (if you have seen my photos you’ll be aware of this).

I’m more interested in two things about this daily exercise.

1. It forces me to think creatively about the prompt and take a moment in my day to stop fussing about the everyday

Even when the prompt is something I have no clues about in the morning I MAKE myself think of something. For example today’s prompt is “yay!”. I’m still stuck but I’m not allowed to go to bed until I snap something with my phone. Sometimes I check out other people’s pics for inspiration. Other times I come up with something I’m happy with. Sometimes I come up with something I’m not happy with. But it’s something. It’s nice to be part of a little community of other mindful people using social media to take a moment to catch a moment in the world around us.

2. It is a goal along the lines of Jerry Seinfeld’s “don’t break the chain”.

I hadn’t heard of Jerry Seinfeld’s chain process for being productive until late last year but I liked it. It can work for anything.

Finishing a PhD.

Introducing exercise into each day.

Of course I’ve done both those things and broken the chain numerous times along the way. But the  key is in the attempt and the motivation. (Perhaps this also explains why I haven’t written a hit TV show and made a gazillion dollars. That’s okay). For me, getting productive through the idea is about keeping the little things on track. Sort of along the lines of philosophy of “watch the pennies and the pounds will take of themselves”. So I figure as long as I stay committed to my fmsphotoaday challenge, the year is moving forward. Even if I achieve nothing of significance today I have not broken the chain. I have remained productive in some tiny way. It’s an intrinsic reward.

And I see this blogjune challenge in the same light. I am determined not to break the chain. I will blog everyday. I won’t prepare blogs in advance as my self-imposed rules of blogging see that as not in the spirit of blogs. I don’t mind if others do of course. To each their own rules of blogging. And I must write something, anything before the clock strikes midnight. What happens if I don’t? Well I’m yet to find out but I’ll be very disappointed in myself or I’ll turn into a pumpkin.