Procrastination is a Symptom, Not the Problem

Published on by Kristi Holl Category: procrastination, writing, writing anxiety, writing challenges

A procrastination cure: all writers want one!

I’ve read many books over the years on this subject, but none better than The Now Habit by Neil Fiore. I’ve worn out a paperback, I listen to my Audible copy of it as a refresher, and recently I bought a set of Now Habit Motivation Cards.

Why? Because I forget what I know!

So I get stuck, feel overwhelmed, blame myself for STILL dealing with procrastination, and then frequently eat a snack and find something on Netflix. That is, I USED to do this, and fairly frequently too.

Trying Something New to Beat Procrastination

Lately I’ve chosen one card from the motivation pack each morning, read it, then reviewed that card several times throughout the day. It reminds me of things I already know (but have temporarily forgotten), especially the practical “fixes” and easy solutions for my fear and feelings of pressure.

For example, here is the card that sat on my desk all day. I put in a long day copyediting, but I still needed to write a short blog and do one other writing task. I felt overwhelmed, even though what I had left to do wouldn’t take more than an hour. Then . . . I spotted the motivational card propped up against my desk lamp. This is what it says:

Generally we are taught that procrastination is the problem, rather than a symptom of other problems. This diagnosis, instead of directing your efforts toward ending the cycle of pressure, fear, and procrastination, unfortunately makes matters worse by blaming you for choosing such an awful habit. A diagnosis without a treatment plan is almost useless. A more helpful diagnosis would point you toward your next action step: Start now. Do something for five minutes.

And that’s what I did. I spent a few minutes creating a title. That’s all it took. Getting started is the tough part. Everything settled down then, I was able to say what I wanted to say, and the blog post got written.

Remind Yourself of What You Already Know

Getting started is always so much harder than continuing. An object in motion stays in motion (says Isaac Newton’s First Law of Motion), but for most writers, getting that object to move in the first place is the real trick! If that’s your challenge too, I urge you to try The Now Habit (in any of its forms.) It will break through the procrastination and get you on your way. 

Writing in the Yoke: Become an Easy Writer

Published on by Kristi Holl Category: health, writing, writing advice, writing anxiety, writing challenges, writing life

We are invited to get into the yoke with Jesus to do the writing God has called us to do. (Matthew 11:28-30) This way of working promises ease and rest for our souls. However, writing with ease and a light burden was not my writing experience for 35 years (not since writing changed from hobby-writing in a closet painted orange to a means of keeping a roof over our heads). 

I had my time-tested, never-fail method to meet deadlines (claim Bible verses about strength, grit teeth, white knuckle it and “just do it!” ) However, almost a year ago, my method stopped working. There were many factors. Even before dealing with Covid, life had become one thing piled on top of another to the point that, unless I discovered a much easier writing method, I would need to quit. Retire. Pack it in.

I couldn’t stand the idea. I loved the project I was working on, but something would have to change. One morning I was reading some familiar verses when they suddenly took on new meaning.  

Writing Made Easy

yoke“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For MY yoke is easy to bear, and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

If His yoke was easy to carry, then whose heavy yoke was I in? I needed a new working style. Could I manage to switch yokes? I needed to learn more about yokes.

Equally or Unequally Yoked?

equal yoke

Farmers know that two animals yoked together must be suited to work in tandem.  If one is big and stronger than the other, injury or failure is certain. Deuteronomy 22:10 says, “Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.” They are different both in strength and temperament.

So, at first glance, the invitation to get into the yoke with Jesus seems unworkable. None of us imagines that we are equally powerful! Actually, Jesus had in mind a different kind of yoke. They were hand-carved to fit the animals perfectly so the yoke didn’t rub and cause irritation, no matter how different the animals were in size or strength.

unequal yokeSo, in Jerusalem at the time Jesus was speaking, a yoke often did join two unequal animals for a specific purpose; one was older or stronger or wiser, and the other was young and inexperienced. The animals were yoked together so that the more experienced animal could teach the younger, weaker animal how to do the work without strain, injury and being burdened down. (A perfect description of Matt. 11:28-30.)

So how would that work for my writing? Could I learn to “write in the yoke” for the rest of my career? These promises gave me hope: “I will give you rest…you will find rest for your souls… my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

So, I have been experimenting with a writing method based on those verses. Could I write without stress and pressure and drama, but still have a peaceful rested soul?Happily, I am learning that the answer can be yes.

Types of Days in the Yoke

For me, writing in the yoke means responding to the Lord’s gentle tug or slight inner pressure to get moving—or to stop. This means writing at the Lord’s pace, because He knows what schedule works best for my health and writing.

There is a learning curve to this. I have three distinct types of “days in the yoke.” Some days my “stubborn donkey” wants to procrastinate, ignoring the tug to get writing. Resisting the gentle pull, I sometimes dig my feet in with determination. I write either with reluctance or downright resistance.

Other days my donkey over-reacts in the opposite direction. I am behind schedule, so letting the bigger animal set the pace feels too risky. I worry that the gentle steady pace can’t possibly produce the words on time! So I try to hurry Him along, push and strain, and check my watch and word count continuously.

Glorious Writing in the Yoke

Thankfully, there is a third type of day, which happens more frequently the longer you practice. These I call the Glorious Writing Days, when I get in the yoke early in the day, stay in it, and start and stop when I feel the gentle tugs and nudges. I don’t clock watch, and I don’t count words till the end of the day. Amazingly, I produce more writing (often lots of it!) but with no ill effects of physical pain or emotional exhaustion. I even quit by 5:00, something I hadn’t done in years! It produces a satisfying, contented tired feeling from being productive without hurting myself.

My experiment with “writing in the yoke” seems to be working. Slowly but surely, I am transforming from a hard-working, burned-out writer to a productive writer who can work with ease. I had prayed for years about improving my health and stamina so I would never have to retire simply because I couldn’t physically do the job anymore. Becoming an “easy writer” appears to be a very big piece of that answer.

[First published August 23, 2020 on the ACFW National website]

Find Your Focus: Stick to the ONE Thing

Published on by Kristi Holl Category: focus, goals, habits, writing, writing habits

“Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there.” ~Josh Billings

This quote comes from a book I love called The ONE Thing: the Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller. As I mentioned last week, after a number of back-to-back setbacks, I needed to relaunch my writing habits. It has been harder than I expected for a number of reasons.

For one thing, I had waited several months to be able to see again and also to move my right hand. So, I didn’t just get behind on my writing. In addition, I “lost sight” of a few other important goals. I was in enough pain that exercising just made the pain worse. So, I quit for a short season (which turned into a loooong season). Because I couldn’t see to drive at night for months, some events with friends and family members were canceled. 

So when I finally felt well enough to write again, I wasn’t just behind with the writing. I had gained some weight I wanted to lose and was breathless and out of shape. And, of course, I wanted to re-schedule important events with friends and family. AND THERE WASN’T TIME TO DO EVERYTHING.

Juggling MANY Things

Life is a juggling act in the best of times. But when we’re knocked out of commission for a while, due to health or family or job crises, we are eager to get caught up in all areas of our lives. In the past, I tried to ramp up performance in all areas simultaneously, becoming a writer running on adrenaline. After all, most of our dearest goals are truly important! You want to catch up on them all. And that, in turn, makes us feel overwhelmed and stuck.

The author of The ONE Thing was in a similar situation. He finally realized he couldn’t do it all, at least not at one time. He couldn’t do five things, or four, or even two–and do them really well. Not with full focus. Not with enough focus to be successful. The question he learned to ask himself repeatedly, in every situation, turned his entire life around.

What was that question?

“What’s the ONE Thing you can do, such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”

Sorting It All Out

According to the1thing.com website, “Gary Keller has identified that behind every successful person is their ONE Thing. No matter how success is measured, personal or professional, only the ability to dismiss distractions and concentrate on your ONE Thing stands between you and your goals. The ONE Thing is about getting extraordinary results in every situation.” Not only does this strategy help you really focus so you can succeed, it also cuts your stress. 

To me, there’s nothing quite as stressful as jumping back and forth from one task to another on my “to do” list. I didn’t focus on my major goal—in this case, writing a book. Instead I put out fires and crossed items off my list that were either the easiest or the quickest. Many items led down rabbit trails, since answering one email usually leads to several more. Adding a short update to your Facebook page leads to scrolling, reading, commenting and liking your friends’ posts. Time is lost, and you haven’t even started your most important project.

If you’re like me, you might be saying, “But I have several very important goals. I can’t choose just one!” I understand that feeling. But focusing on one main thing is a skill we can learn. If learning how to focus on one main goal FIRST is important to you, give this book a try. In addition to much practical help in the book, the author provides free downloads, podcasts, and teachings for their “ONE Thing” method at their Resources page. 

Choosing The ONE Thing

Yes, right now I am taking small steps with an exercise program. I’ve also rescheduled smaller events with friends and family. However, I decided that my ONE thing to focus “all in” during the rest of the summer was re-establishing my writing habit and finishing a book I started months ago. To accomplish this, I am using what the author calls time blocking. So far, it’s working really well. 

In past years, my “one thing” was dealing with health issues that had stopped me cold in my writing. Once I got the autoimmune disease in remission, my “one thing” could be something else. Other years I have had 6-9 months where my “one thing” had to be working on a particular relationship that was impacting everything else in my life.   

Focusing On the Right One Thing

Usually we sense which goal is our most important one. But we can be wrong! Don’t automatically assume you know what your “one thing” is. Suppose you want to lose weight, so it seems obvious that your goal is to eat less and exercise more. But when you ask yourself the book’s key question (What’s the ONE Thing you can do, such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?), you might discover that actually it’s your lack of sufficient sleep leading you to not exercise, want comfort carbs at all hours, and be depressed. So, your “one thing” that would make everything easier might be going to bed every night by 10:00. It could fix a host of problems causing you to gain weight.

Take time alone to think, pray, journal, and listen for guidance when choosing your ONE thing. If you need help to identify your focused goal right now, The1Thing website has some helpful articles. Read “How to Identify What Matters Most.” Then for help implementing your plan, see “Revisiting Your System for Time Blocking.” 

Then you’ll be like a postage stamp. You’ll stick to one thing until you successfully get there.

From Panic to Focus: Save Your Writing Project

Published on by Kristi Holl Category: perseverance, persistence, setbacks, writing

In the fall of 2019 I spent several weeks researching a mystery series set in a small village in the North Yorkshire Dales. The locals who own the shops depend on tourist trade from daily bus tours and mountain bike groups.  In early 2020 villagers sent out a plea for the tourists to please stay home during the coronavirus scare. Students and parents (now working and learning from home) were coming to the villages in droves on their unexpected “vacations.”

They posed a threat to two distinct groups: the high number of older at-risk people living in the villages—and the sheep.

At-Risk Sheep?

Yes, but it has nothing to do with the virus. It’s lambing time in the Yorkshire Dales. Hiking groups climb up through the pastures. Bikers race down the trails on the other side of the stone fences marking the fields. Their dogs, often loose, bark at the sheep. The sheep startle easily, then panic and run. With pregnant ewes, the mere running can make them abort their lambs.

We writers can also react to fearful circumstances with panic. There are good reasons the Bible compares us to sheep needing a shepherd. We don’t lose lambs if we panic, but before our writing dreams come to fruition, we can lose the work we are carrying that God gave us to do.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Being terribly unsettled by COVID-19 is totally normal. Our families, regardless of age or situation, have faced huge changes these past weeks. As time passes, and people we know come down with the virus, the temptation to panic grows. Panic allowed to settle in (fed by constant exposure to the media) can derail our writing schedules for months.

Panic is nothing new for followers of God. Imagine the Israelites as they faced the Red Sea before them and the chariots pursuing from behind. The people cried out in terror at what was about to overtake them. And what was Moses’ response to them? “‘Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and watch God do his work of salvation for you today. . . God will fight the battle for you. And you? You keep your mouths shut!’” (Exodus 14:13-14 MSG)

In other words, when faced with impending doom and disaster, you should:

  • Fear not,
  • stand firm,
  • watch God work,
  • and stop spreading panic with your words.

Still great advice today.

Human Sheep at Risk Today

Most people in the world feel a similar panic at the virus situation. Specifically, for writers, book deadlines are right in front of us, but the coronavirus bears down from behind like those Egyptian chariots. How can we possibly write? Moses’ words are as applicable to us as they were to the panicked Israelites.

Remember that the Lord is still our Good Shepherd. We are still His sheep. We hear His voice. He knows us. We can still follow Him. We are trying to birth our stories during this time, but if we panic instead of trusting God, we are likely to abort the work He has given us to do.

Stay close to the shepherd. Do your part to keep yourself and others safe. Encourage one another instead of using your words to spread panic. Be calm and peaceful, and ready to account to non-believers for the hope that is within you. (1 Peter 3:15) Then, even in these times, you will be able to give “birth” to your writing projects.

We’re All in This Together

My mystery writer friend runs daily in the Yorkshire Dales, and she took this photo on the top of the fells. There were few tourists hiking or biking, and she was encouraged by the cooperation with the villagers.

Even the sheep practiced social distancing!

[First published on the ACFW American Christian Fiction Writers blog.]

Follow-up trips to the UK have been cancelled (twice), but God willing, I will return there near the end of September.

Begin as You Mean to Go On

Published on by Kristi Holl Category: habits, writing, writing advice, writing habits

I’ve been home from my England research trip for six weeks now. My cottage writing table next to my fireplace is such a fond memory!

I was determined to carry on with my good writing and health habits as soon as I got home. I had felt so well in England, while also accomplishing so much writing, and it was important to me to carry those lessons home.

Since being home, I had some wonderful wins, and a few spectacular fails. As is usual in real life, the fails taught me more than the wins. It didn’t teach me that I couldn’t replicate my time overseas–far from it–but it sure revealed where my structure was the weakest.

Begin as You Mean to Go On

I was determined to do four things when I got home that I had decided were my biggest “wins” while in England. [See my ten blog posts with photos from October beginning with this one.]

  1. I would get up very early every day, by 5:00 a.m. I would start my day with my tea and quiet time.
  2. I would begin writing by 6:00, before talking to anyone. (I have it easier than many people here. My husband works nights, so he is asleep until 9:00 or so.) But I used to get that early when my children were young too.
  3. I would exercise throughout the morning, either with short walking breaks or five-minute weights routines or stretches. [I need it for my back and posture, but at the end of the working day, I just don’t want to do it.]
  4. I would go to bed early so I got a good night’s sleep before getting up at 5:00. I would get off ALL screens (including phone) after 8:00.

It was fairly easy to get up at 5 and begin writing by 6 for the first week. But it got harder and harder, which first surprised me. I had had no trouble for three weeks in England getting up that early without an alarm clock.

What Went Wrong? A Vicious Cycle

So I looked at calendar and my list of meetings and doctors’ appointments, and that was a big part of the problem. I had meetings and appointments several days in a row that took my prime writing time, and so I struggled to write in the afternoon which bled over into the evening because days are full of distractions and interruptions. I found very early that one hour of writing in the morning before talking to anyone was worth at least three hours of writing time later in the day. And because I am slow during the afternoons, it ran over into the evening. So, then I ate late, got to bed too late, and couldn’t get up at 5:00 a.m. anymore.

But what to do?!?! The doctors’ appointments were the important kind where they are booked up months in advance, and if you don’t take the available choices the receptionist gives you, you have to wait several more months. And I’m not in charge of the volunteer group I work with the most, so I’m not in charge of calling the times for the work days. (Our leader always wants them first thing in the morning.) So I fumed through a couple of those days as I wasted my best writing hours doing non-brain chores instead.

An Experiment With Boundaries (Done Pleasantly)

So I tried an experiment, just to see if I had more choices than I thought. After the lung scan I had, the receptionist needed to set up an appointment for me to see the results. Of course, her choice was at 9 a.m. When I asked for a later time, she said her next available choice was in February, three months away. (I was always an “automatic yes” before when faced with this kind of choice.) This time, though, I said that the February date was fine as I didn’t particularly care when I got the results. She said nothing, then went back to her computer and offered me a choice in two weeks for 3 p.m. Aha! (I have done this twice now with the same results.)

Boundaries With Helping Others

The first week I was home, I fulfilled both of my agreed volunteer times, but during all the sorting, packing, etc. I did for two mornings, I was thinking! I love this volunteer project, but I could do most of the work even brain dead. So when the leader called for the next morning meeting, I said mornings no longer worked for me. I offered to take the boxes of stuff home to sort in the evenings, or I offered to come to the work room at 3 and work for several hours. She said no. I said (pleasantly) that I understood her position, but I would need to resign and find another organization that fit my work hours better. Very short pause before she changed her mind and said I could take the work home, then bring it back some afternoon. Bingo again!

Home Health Habits

One more failure and fix: I also stopped exercising when I got home, resulting in some terrific backaches from sitting too long. Admittedly, the English countryside and Victorian buildings were such a wonderful enticement to get out frequently and walk. And coming home to Texas temperatures and cactus countryside wasn’t that appealing.

But I hunted for another system that would work for me and discovered a new book called Elastic Habits, which I will definitely blog about soon. The system outlined has worked for me to get back to the intermittent exercise I found so helpful when away. So, bit by bit, I am re-creating my English cottage experience in my Texas office (which looks like England now actually, with all my souvenirs and photos.)

Bring Home Your Retreat

Way too often, we give up on our writing retreat experience, whether one that lasts a weekend or two weeks. But with enough determination to FIND A WAY to replicate it, you can in so many ways. Find out what works best for YOU as a writer. Your body rhythms may recoil at the idea of working so early. That’s fine. This is just what I found worked really well when I had the freedom to choose my own eating/sleeping/writing/exercising schedule. Yours will undoubtedly be different.

But do your best to find and implement it. Don’t assume, like I always have, that you have few or no choices. Give your writing more importance in your schedule, and you’ll reap so many rewards, including loving your writing process again.

Put Out to Pasture—Or Not?

Published on by Kristi Holl Category: renewal, rest, writing

(Published on the ACFW blog page October 31, 2019)

I just returned from a research trip in the Yorkshire Dales in northern England, the setting of my historical work-in-progress. It was my second time to stay in this small village, whose buildings date back to the 1600’s. I wrote, I visited museums, and I hiked the hills two or three times each day. I will never get tired of the beauty of this area. Both years I especially loved the sheep. Fluffy white ewes dotted the high green fells and stared at me from beyond dry stone walls.

And, oddly enough, God spoke to me through those sheep. (Or maybe not so odd. The Lord spoke to Balaam through a donkey.)

A New Season of Life

Since passing 65, I’ve had several inquiries about when I might retire. I had never considered it until I dealt with a number of health issues, among them breaking my left wrist in four places and after that, my right hand. There was plenty of time to think about it while in casts, doing rehab, and learning to type again. I was afraid God might be telling me to stop pressuring myself over deadlines and retire. Oh, how I hoped that that was not what God was trying to tell me. (See also “Does Age Matter for Writers?” by Rachelle Gardner)

If you’ve ever wondered if you’re getting too old for the writing game, I want to share a lesson I learned from a shepherd last year.

Past Her Prime

A ewe can have two lambs per year (because of five-month pregnancies). Since there are many occasions of twins, a healthy ewe may produce more than two lambs per year. After four or five years, these mama ewes are worn out. Most of the older ewes simply can’t carry a lamb full-term anymore, or their lambs are no longer born healthy. So what happens to a ewe when she can no longer fulfill her purpose?

It all depends on the quality of what she’s produced up to that time. If this ewe has produced many lambs that are very healthy and strong, it means she has good genes. She is singled out for special treatment. Rather than killing her for mutton and lanolin, she is given a season of extra nutritious food and extra rest. This is to restore her to vibrant health after being depleted by giving birth to all those lambs. The ewe could then live and reproduce another five years, and sometimes much more.

Do you identify with these older, tired ewes? I did. We can feel depleted after giving birth to one novel after another, year after year, and need some definite renewal. Instead of retiring, I sensed that I also needed a super healthy diet and a more restful (and less stressful) season. The Lord showed me (step by step) how to do both, which eventually restored my energy to a level that a working writer needs.

The Lord is My Shepherd

Seeing how the older ewes were restored to full function wasn’t as dramatic as Moses’ burning bush, but it spoke volumes to me. Instead of taking my health scares as signs that I should retire, I sensed strongly that I also needed to submit to two things. I must upgrade my nutritional choices and deal with my lack of sleep, if I wanted to keep writing as the years go by.

Are you a writer who secretly wonders if you can keep going, even though you are at the peak of your writing craft? If so, pray about it before you quit writing. You may well be one of the Lord’s worn-out sheep whom He wants to restore, so you can continue to do the work He created for you to do.

ENGLAND RESEARCH TRIP: Oct. 22

Published on by Kristi Holl Category: research

England, Oct. 22: Was 43 degrees today with a wind chill of -70 (just kidding, but it felt like it!) Luckily, for my outdoor research trip today, I had my long johns, heavy boots, sweaters, mittens and parka.

I took the train to the Ribblehead Viaduct about five miles away to study where the navvies had lived in five shanty towns for six years. They built the 24-arch viaduct in the 1870s so the trains could eventually reach Settle and beyond. The history is fascinating! (If the video loads, it’s from my train ride to the viaduct.) The photos are in order as I walked to the viaduct. Lots of sheep loose…even the sheep were trying to get out of the wind.

 

ENGLAND RESEARCH TRIP: Oct. 21

Published on by Kristi Holl Category: research, writing

England, Oct. 21: My last week in Settle already! It has gone so very fast! Learned so much about the railroad today from the man running the shop in the station.(And bought more books to mail home.)

Photos include the train station, the station master’s house beside it, the old coal house, and the old signal box. Also photos of my favorite breakfast (farm fresh eggs–complete with little feathers–and funny-looking bacon called “rashers,” which tastes great.)

 

ENGLAND RESEARCH TRIP: Oct. 15-17

Published on by Kristi Holl Category: research

England, Oct. 15-17: Very little rain, down to 39 degrees last night, but sunny. Perfect for hiking, riding, running…very active village!

So many social events available…there’s a 59-page booklet of activities just for October! They have clubs and groups for every possible interest. The Victorian Hall, a music hall from 1853 that has never been closed–tonight has a performance of three Charles Dickens ghost stories.

I also did some research involving fascinating homes and stage coach inns from the 1600s to the early 1800s, including a Quaker graveyard. The photos don’t do the buildings justice–each one is so unique.

ENGLAND RESEARCH TRIP: October 13-14

Published on by Kristi Holl Category: research

England, Oct. 13-14:

Two more beautiful days in the Dales!

Lots of writing, lots of hiking, lots of neat little discoveries: another telephone booth turned into a gallery (this time a listening gallery of recorded poems by local poets that you can “dial up”).

I hiked some steep hills–I’m getting stronger–with great views for miles around; stone barns, more photos of my love affair with chimney pots and sheep.

Some WWI and WWII tiny village memorials, and a lovely bouquet of wild iris left for hikers on a stone wall.

Oh…and I found the reason for the tiny cut-out in my laundry room door!