Some experiments, the no sight experiment for instance, I know won’t turn permanent. Others, though, like the short posts experiment, might have that possibility. In both cases, I try to go into them with an open mind.
For the ones that don’t seem to have the potential for permanence, I try to look for aspects of the experiment that could become permanent. Could I repeat the experiment on schedule to remind myself of the results? Could I change the experiment to make it more difficult and as a result get a longer lasting memory of the results? Could I find some small part of the experiment to keep around?
For the ones that could become permanent, I try to think of difficulties down the line and how to overcome them ahead of time. For the short posts experiment, for instance, could I break up longer posts in order to write longer pieces still while keeping the short posts feel on the blog every day? Could I learn to write shorter, tighter sentences while still keeping a voice in the writing?
The benefit of alternating between these two kinds of experiments is that the more I do, the more I forget which is which.
Pretty soon, some of the experiments that would have seemed like they couldn’t last, end up lasting. I did that with the no heater experiment. I thought for sure it would get too cold, but I kept adding clothes and blankets and gloves, and pretty soon I made it through the whole winter, no problem.
Some experiments stay experiments. Others turn into habits. By alternating between them, I get to push the edge of possibility, and I don’t even notice until looking back.
