Some time ago one of Suzanne Lieurance’s email “Morning Nudges” hit me between the eyes, and I printed it out as a reminder. I see this week that I need the same nudge again. Maybe you do too. Ducks on Parade “People will tell you that before you start on any new venture it’s a good idea to get all […]
procrastination
Five Stages of Procrastination
How is procrastination like a bridge you set on fire yourself? According to Neil Fiore in The Now Habit, it’s similar to a situation where we scare ourselves into being frozen. Fiore says to imagine a very long flat board on the ground in front of you, and then imagine walking on it to the […]
The Vicious Procrastination Cycle
Because I have a tight deadline, and I also need to go to bed early for a race I’m running in the morning, I am going to re-run a popular article from a few years ago on the procrastination cycle. It will bear repeating! ****************************** There’s more to dealing with procrastination than snarling at yourself […]
Three Reasons Your Writing Life Isn't Working–and What To Do
What’s wrong with me? you wonder. Why doesn’t this writing advice work? A third worrisome thought nibbles at the back of your brain: Maybe I’m not a writer after all. Not to worry. I’ve identified three of the most common reasons why writers don’t get their writing done. And I’ve put together an overall solution […]
Weakened Mind Anxiety: the Cure (Part 3)
First we talked about the anxiety stirred up when it’s time to start a writing project. Then we talked about four causes of this “weakened mind anxiety,” a term coined by Eric Maisel in Fearless Creating. The next obvious question is: what do we do about it? As it turns out, we do many things […]
Weakened Mind Anxiety (Part 2)
Last week we talked about “weakened mind anxiety” and what that feels like. Symptoms that rear their ugly heads just before you try to write include fatigue, foggy brain, depression and an urge to cry/sleep/watch TV/surf the ‘Net. (from Fearless Creating by Eric Maisel) What’s the Problem? Before we talk about solutions, I think it […]
Pacifiers or Catalysts: Your Choice
I’ve noticed one amazing thing about myself and other writers who claim to want to write more than anything else. Something odd takes over, and we fill the free time of our lives with all kinds of non-writing activities. We reach for things that make us feel good, that quell any anxiety we might be feeling, […]
Procrastination Tip: Jump In!
People often tell me that I’m very productive, so it was a shock recently to take a procrastination test and come out in the top 10% of procrastinators! It said I scored 80 out of 100 possible points and “when it comes to putting things off, you often do so even though you know you […]
Procrastination: Make It a Movie
Procrastination: the Movie? Yes…making a movie is one way to overcome the temptation to procrastinate and build good writing habits, day by day. Yesterday, on the first day of NaNoWriMo, I had such good intentions. But my novel idea looked overwhelming to me (and rather stupid, I must also admit). I dinked around, trying to get started, […]