Between my daily journaling and writing practice, I have output a minimum of 1,000 words a day for well months. As with all things, some days are harder than others, and on the days where my inspiration or motivation is a little lacking, I have been writing what can only be described as drivel. If I am being critical, this piece of writing here is a perfect example, but as a famous philosopher said: it is what it is.
Keeping the streak alive is more important than the day-to-day quality of writing. At this point, the writing practice is as core to my day as other daily habits like eating, brushing my teeth, and showering. Like those listed, the value and benefit lies not specifically in the individual output on a daily basis, but by its consistent practice. In that way, it becomes sustainable. For example, when you go to brush your teeth, it may take 5 minutes of your day. The mental load that activity exacts on you, however, trivial compared to the actual time you spend on it. The same goes with writing, the less that I think of it, and worry about it, outside of the time I actually spend writing, the better it will be in the long run.
Maintaining the streak is my way of focussing my attention on the process over the outcome. For as long as I can remember, “successful” people have always preached this notion, that with quantity comes quality. It just seems so counter-intuitive that if you just focus on making the bare-minimum will yield dividends in the long-run. I suppose it goes back to what one’s goal is. If the goal is to write one great article, then by all means, spend as much time on it as possible. If, however, the goal is to become a writer, then a pre-occupation on writing consistently is more important.