Recently I surveyed some writers and gave them a chance to ask me a question.
One of the top questions was . . .
How can I eliminate procrastination?
How can I eliminate procrastination? #TheWriteCoach
Our human nature is to avoid anything to cause us pain or discomfort. Even though we want to write, we avoid it. Why? The reasons are as many as there are people asking the question. For most people they feel they don't have the time. I have said this myself. However, the truth is we have not allocated our time to make it a priority. Some days are so full we can barely breathe, but there are days we can make the time.
It is uncomfortable to create a new habit or routine of writing. Again, we avoid the discomfort. Why wake up at 5:30am or 6am to write? Or spend part of our lunch hour? What time is a time you could write?
I often refer to pro and Olympic athletes. They want to be the best in their game. What if all they did was sit around and talk about it? It would never happen. They take action. They set a goal for in the near future, and maybe even a bigger goal to be in the Olympics. They train, receive coaching and guidance from experts, they compete, and review their performance. Rinse and repeat the process. Each year, each competition, each practice gains momentum in the direction they want to go.
Why do we believe writing is any different?
Our human nature is to avoid anything to cause us pain. Even though we want to write,we avoid it. Why?#TheWriteCoach
It Is Time To Take Action!
- Make an ACTION Plan. Choose a time daily or weekly to write. It can be 15 minutes or 2 hours.
- Set up a schedule. Mark off on a calendar - How long you wrote (ex. 30 minutes) OR track your word count (ex. 500 words). Tracking both is a good option too.
- Find an accountability partner to check in on you weekly or daily. Tell them your preference on how to contact you.
- Write a blog post. Make a deadline to send out a post weekly or bi-weekly. Deadlines give you the motivation to write on time when you know others will be looking for your post.
- Spend time each week or monthly brainstorming ideas to write about for your book, blog post, or talks. Keep a place for all of your thoughts.
Again, put this on your calendar to remind you to do weekly or monthly.
NOTE: Use Evernote, a Word or Pages document, OneNote, or a paper journal. A place to keep your thoughts organized.
Take a step in the right direction each day, and you will gain momentum to be the writer you are dreaming about today.
