🗓 One Calendar Ping Could Change Your Substack Trajectory

A simple accountability trick that keeps you creating long after the initial excitement fades

Image credit: Loz James in Canva

The Kitchen Question That Shifted My Perspective

This morning over coffee I was telling my wife how many subscribers I’d built on Substack.

I was laughing as I don’t have many yet, so it was more a casual progress update, mid-conversation.

She nodded, then asked me something I really had to think about:

“I wonder how many you’ll have in a year?”

Her question stopped me in my tracks, because I realised instantly that number hadn’t ever crossed my mind.

I just didn’t know. And worse, I hadn’t planned to know.

I was committed to being a weekday writer on Substack ‘for now’, but was I really thinking ahead for a whole year, and beyond?

All the experts say you should commit for at least 6–12 months, so why hadn’t I formally told myself that I’d go all in for that timeframe?

So I pulled out my phone.

I created a calendar event exactly 12 months in the future.

I typed in my subscriber number from today.

Then I set the reminder with an alert, and told my wife I’d done it.

“OK, let’s see how many subscribers I’ve got this time next year!” I said, secretly quite excited.

One quiet ping, one simple line of text.
And a year from now, I’ll know exactly how far I’ve come.

How a Future Reminder Creates Present Momentum

We quit most projects because we give ourselves a backdoor.

We leave the exit open.
We don’t draw a line between “committed” and “curious.”

But something shifts when you mark the future on your calendar — and tell someone close to you what you’ve done.

It becomes real.

That ping becomes a checkpoint. A mirror. A moment of truth you can’t squirm out of.

Suddenly, you’re not just publishing “when you can.”
You’re on a timeline.

And every newsletter, every note, every moment of doubt you push through?

They all become deposits toward that future alert.

The Real Power of Small, Silent Accountability

You don’t need a coaching group or public declaration to stay consistent.

You need something just real enough that you’d be embarrassed to quit without trying.

That’s what your calendar alert is.

It’s a contract between you and your future self.
A whisper in your ear when you want to give up:

“Don’t con yourself out of your own potential.”

This is your chance to hold yourself accountable.

Set the Ping & Stay the Course

Here’s the takeaway, and the challenge.

• Open your phone

• Set a calendar event for 12 months from today

• Write down your subscriber count as the event title — “I have x amount of subscribers”

• Tell someone whose opinion you value and you’d feel bad about letting down

• Then commit to the process — daily notes, weekly articles, whatever your rhythm is

When that ping arrives next year, you’ll either be celebrating growth — or understanding exactly why you didn’t see it.

Either way, you’ll have clarity.
And from that place, momentum becomes easier to build.

Who knows, you could even set one again next year if you commit to this long term.

Join Weekday Writer & Let’s Build Momentum Together

Want more simple systems for writing with purpose, building an audience, and staying consistent?

👉 Subscribe to Weekday Writer:

👻 Writing Wraith Ghostwriting

Need content that sounds like you & grows your business (without writing it yourself)? Want to work with a 25+ year veteran copywriter? Let’s talk.
📧 loz@contentchampion.com