I don’t know what to write about.

In this new now normal* I’m really struggling to find words that feel worthy to write. Words that are worthy of your time.

I sit down each morning and I want to write a blog post, but nothing rises to the surface that seems important.

People are sick and dying, thousands by the day. We are social distancing and lonely and scared. And a near record number of people are out of work – 14.7% in this country. For perspective:

The world’s a mess, and we’re bombarded with terrible news reminding us of just how bad it is. Here’s the ‘front page’ of The NY Times as I write this:

Every story is either about the virus specifically or the dire ramifications of it.

And I should write about…what? I have a blog post that I’ve started that shares my current iPad-focused desk setup (I’m only using the iPad right now). And another on my strategy for the platforms I write content on (this blog vs Medium vs email newsletter). I’ve wanted to write about how we give ourselves ‘permission to be kind’ at Dragon Army, and to take a stab at sharing a 100-year plan for that company.

I’ve thought about sharing the devastating (yet contained) impact that COVID-19 has had on 48in48, and how we’ve shifted the Ripples platform accordingly.

There are a couple of humorous posts I want to write (similar to the one I wrote years ago about the man that stood too close to me on the escalator). One shares a mock marketing meeting at Coca-Cola headquarters where ‘Jinx, you owe me a Coke’ was created, and another in the voice of a satirical leader who is doing all the wrong things. He’ll have a funny, ironic name and it’ll have an emperor-has-no-clothes kind of feel to it.

But are those things that are worth your time right now? Should I write hopeful, aspirational things? Or ignore that this is happening altogether?

Perhaps I was able to write The Crisis Turnaround last month because I felt it would be useful content, and I was inspired to do something – anything – to help during these times. But maybe that missed the mark, too. It’s still focused on what everything else is focused on: crisis, crisis, and more crisis.

I just…don’t know what to write about right now. I’m very open to suggestions, because I desperately don’t want to waste your time.

How would you guide me?

Before you leave

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* someone I know said we should call this our ‘now’ normal vs. ‘new’ normal