What am I going to write about?
What, What, What?
Open Twitter. Find a thread where an unknowing and naïve person says to a writer,
Writing a book must be so easy!
Bark out loud in shock! Cover mouth because I will wake the kids and the husband who is working nights and then they will invade my space and I will get absolutely nothing done. Revel in liking every single response from all the writers who responded back with hilarious, shocked, pissed off gifs. I love twitter. And there goes another half hour.
Not only do I have a novel to complete drafting—I am currently taking a course through the Writer’s Digest University and my next assignment is due in less than 24 hours, my author website needs updating, the bookkeeper is waiting for our farm books, I still haven’t unpacked the kids back packs from summer camp, there are half completed renovations in the back yard, the barn chores need completing, fur balls, laundry heaps and dirty dishes are threatening to mutiny all over my house, bills need paying, I promised myself I was going to submit a blog to Andy Rourke’s website and next weekend is the Muskoka Novel Marathon wrap up and I still haven’t read the books I bought from the other authors this summer and THIS BLOG IS DUE.
How?
How do I waste so much time? I know it’s a talent, but why do I have to be so darn good at it?
Quick Google search… time to tackle this procrastination.
Oh, look! I have 14 new emails… the water is boiling… let’s make coffee.
Wow, there are some really great resources out there to help you stop procrastinating. One of the very first steps is, to write a list. Which, interestingly enough, I completed at the beginning of this blog. Hmmm…. Doesn’t seem so terribly daunting all the sudden.
So…
- Make a list.
2. Pick one thing on that list.
3. Set a time to do it and imagine how great it will feel when you finish.
4. Break task into little steps.
WRITING A BLOG
- pick a topic
- write some words
- take a break
- edit words
- find some pictures to accompany blog
- move words to Ascribe website
- tweak blog so it looks right
- edit again
- schedule post
Doesn’t seem too bad.
5. Change your space.
LET’S GO ON A WRITING RETREAT. I am all over that. Open email to communicate with other writers… wait, I’m procrastinating again.
6. Call yourself out when you find yourself veering off your original goal. Get back on task.
7. Hang out with others who inspire you. This is by far one of the most powerful motivators for me. I have these amazing writer friends who cheer me on, check in on my progress and make me feel guilty when I have not done what I said I would do. (cough… not mentioning any names). Accountability works.
8. Did you know there’s an app for that? …Procrastination Killer, Stop Procrastinating, and even a Procrastination Timer.
Neat.
Cheep. Cheep. Cheep. What’s that?
Oh, yes, THE BARN CHORES!
I need to go to the barn, but after coffee and … no. I need to go to the barn, then come back and write that blog.
Oh, look. I wrote one!
9. Check something off your list.
Check. ASCRIBE BLOG COMPLETE.
Thank you to the following resources… for more help see these sites.
