Earlier this year, a friend and I made a pact: publish at least two articles every month or pay a £500 fine if we missed the target. The goal wasn't to churn out content mindlessly but to break free from overthinking and perfectionism. My drafts folder was already overflowing with ideas, but I often got stuck rewriting and overanalyzing. This commitment was a way to break that cycle.
So far, it's been incredibly productive. I've maintained consistency for months while working full-time, building Tnkr, and managing other side projects. Today, I want to share the approach that's helped me stay on track, inspired by a concept I learned from a top student in my college class.
I once asked this friend about his study habits, curious how he managed the demands of multiple subjects. His answer was simple: "I use the skeleton framework."
Instead of studying each course topic by topic, he chose topics based on their difficulty and how they related to one another, in no particular order. He'd learn what he could, when he could, without worrying about completing everything sequentially. This method initially seemed chaotic to me—I always thought you needed to understand one topic fully before moving on to the next. However, many topics can be learned independently. Of course, you can't jump into integration without knowing multiplication, but you get the idea.
How do I use this in my writing? Whenever I get an idea, I immediately create a document in Grammarly with a title or a brief note. Here's a glimpse of my current document list:
Throughout the week, I jot down thoughts—sometimes just a quote or a saying that fits an article I'm working on; other times, it's an entire paragraph. By the time I'm ready to publish, I have a collection of random paragraphs, quotes, and references. My only job then is to organize, arrange, and tie up loose ends.
This process has been surprisingly efficient and enjoyable. The "skeleton framework" has allowed me to focus less on perfecting each piece and more on getting my ideas out there.
The key is flexibility. By writing in fragments and working on different pieces as ideas come, I've avoided the paralysis of overthinking. The framework has made my writing more dynamic and less stressful. I'm no longer trapped by the need to produce polished content from the start; instead, I build each article piece by piece, like assembling a puzzle.
While this method might only work for some, it's been a game-changer for me. If you need help with consistency or getting stuck in the cycle of overthinking, try the skeleton framework. You might find it frees you up to write more and write better.