How to Make the Extraordinary Ordinary

I don’t consider myself an expert at blogging, but I know a few things. Apparently it’s enough to warrant a few questions.

Recently I’ve often been asked “How do you write blog content multiple times a week?” My first answer is: “Not very well” — which is mostly jest. I follow that by going into way too much detail about my routine and process. Some find that interesting, others find it boring. No matter which camp you fall into— read on, I’m going somewhere here.

Here’s my secret weapon: write every single day.

I write every day. Not everything that I write becomes something that you read on this blog. In fact, very little of it becomes something that others see. Most of it is mundane processing of life and ideas. But out of the free writing, I stumble into things that feels valuable and useful. Some of that becomes what you read here.

Because I write every day, a blog post does not feel too difficult. In fact, because I’m writing a lot more words on most days, editing a few hundred words for a post or an article is relatively simple.

Here’s what I’m getting at: since I’m practicing every day, what may feel extraordinary to the outside world feels somewhat ordinary to me. Writing every day is how I make the extraordinary ordinary.

This is true about most endeavors.

When you are in practice, the most extraordinary accomplishments seem ordinary.

Here are some examples:

Running a marathon

To someone who doesn’t run, a marathon is extraordinary. You can’t run a marathon if you don’t run at all. However if you’re a runner and you’re training on most days, a marathon — though still a big accomplishment — is not extraordinary. You’re used to the work. It’s just more of what you already do — run.

Recording an album

To a non-musician, recording an album is extraordinary. You can’t record an album if you don’t play music. However, if you’re a musician and you write music on most days — though it’s still a big deal — it’s not extraordinary. You’re used to writing, and performing. Recording is more of what you already do.

Writing a book

To someone that doesn’t write, writing a book seems like an extraordinary feat. But if a person is a writer, then a book — though still a big accomplishment — is not extraordinary. It’s an extension of the writing process. It’s just more writing, which is ordinary to a writer.

The same can be said of programmers and apps, composers and symphonies, painters and paintings, accountants and my taxes (that one may not totally fit, but it feels extraordinary to me!), etc.

The most extraordinary things broken down, practiced, and built into a routine become ordinary.

They are the product of a practice.

With a little strategy and a lot of work, you can make the extraordinary ordinary.

In the comments, what are the extraordinary things that you’re hoping for and how can you make them ordinary? What other great examples are there of making extraordinary things ordinary?