What I Learned Writing a Blog a Week

A year ago, I agreed to host the education slot in my local business networking group. At the time, it felt like a perfectly reasonable commitment.

Somewhere along the way, that commitment quietly turned into writing 52 blogs — one every week — on business growth.

In hindsight, I must have been mad.

Would I do it again? I honestly don’t know.
Did I love it? Absolutely yes.
Do I love it even more now that it’s finished? Without question.

Once I had the list of 52 topics mapped out and grouped into themes, the real work began. Researching. Writing. Finding my voice. Staring at the screen. Trying to turn a jumble of thoughts into something that made sense — at least to me.

Ironically, creating a template to standardise the layout was probably the easiest part of the whole process.

The commitment was real. Every week. For 52 weeks.
(Okay, I overran a couple of times — let’s blame holidays and Christmas.)

But still. Fifty-two blogs. Published.

That required resilience — showing up when I felt inspired and when I really didn’t. Some weeks, the ideas flowed. Other weeks, it felt like dragging thoughts out of thin air. But each article taught me something, and that’s what kept me going.

There was something genuinely fascinating about learning new things, seeing familiar ideas from fresh angles, and sometimes understanding something properly for the first time. Learning for the sake of learning turned out to be surprisingly exhilarating.

That said, let’s be honest — it was time-consuming. Each article took anywhere from half a day to a day and a half. It forced me to structure my diary properly, to protect thinking time, and to create space rather than hoping it would magically appear.

It also required discipline. Actual, sit-down-and-type discipline. The kind where you don’t wait for motivation — you just hit the keyboard and trust that something will come out.

And it did.

One of the unexpected joys was watching my writing style evolve. My thinking became clearer. My arguments more focused. I could see my own growth in real time, article by article.

There was also a deep sense of satisfaction at the end of each post. That moment of clicking “publish” and watching the counter tick up — from 1/52, to 10/52, to 26/52… all the way to 52/52. That never got old.

I’m also hugely grateful for AI, which helped simplify certain parts and tighten the writing without stealing my voice. Used well, it felt like a thoughtful assistant rather than a replacement.

More than anything, this whole experience was simply great writing practice. Challenging. Stretching. Occasionally exhausting. But incredibly rewarding. And while I’m not entirely sure I’d sign myself up to do it all again just yet, I am very glad I did.

It’s made me realise how often the things that stretch us the most also give us the greatest sense of satisfaction once they’re done.

So would I recommend writing a blog a week for a year?

Only if you’re prepared to learn more than you expect — about your subject, your discipline, and yourself.

And only if you’re also prepared to feel a tiny bit relieved when it’s finally done.

Have you ever committed to something that turned out to be harder — and more rewarding — than you expected? I’d love to hear.

#HaywardHub #ChangeOneThing #LearningOutLoud #PersonalGrowth #BusinessJourney