Don’t Hesitate. Just Write.
How many times have you sat down to write only to find yourself distracted moments later?
You create the title then close the draft.
Come up with the subtitle, then go make a cup of tea.
Take ten minutes choosing a pretty picture to feature, then spend half an hour on Facebook.
When are you going to start writing some damn words!?
Stop fooling around and get started!
Lack of Focus
The very scenario happens to me on a regular basis — it even happened for this particular piece.
I have all good intentions of getting started on my next piece but somehow it takes forever to actually begin writing.
Maybe you can relate?
It takes hours to write that very first word, but once you get going the piece starts to flow.
Damn you, procrastination!
There are many reasons why we procrastinate, especially when it comes to writing.
For me, it’s a lack of focus at times.
I’d start writing, then something else — completely unrelated — would enter my mind which I had to go check out immediately. Then I’d eventually come back to the original task and continue where I’d left off.
This happens maybe six or seven times as I try to complete my piece.
I like to think of it as my own version of the Pomodoro method.
But perhaps it’s something different that hinders your progress?
For a lot of people, it is the fear of not being good enough or of being judged that holds them back from completing their work.
Then there are the perfectionists, who want everything to be just right. But it’s never going to be 100% perfect. You could spend weeks on a piece and still find fault in it after hitting the publish button.
Whatever the reason, it’s time to make some changes and break the curse of procrastination.
Don’t Think, Just Act
In an attempt to be more productive here on Medium I have decided to address this lack of focus and as the subtitle says;
“…pull the trigger and actually get started.”
It will be a difficult habit to remedy but not an impossible one. All it takes is some self-awareness and a smidgen of discipline.
Maybe you could give it a try also?
The next time you’re sat down ready to create a new piece and you feel your mind start to wander — the urge to check social media, make a cup of coffee or whatever — make yourself a deal.
The deal is;
You can go check your social media, make that cup of coffee, Google some unrelated sh*t but only after you have written the next paragraph. Be it the first or the last, it HAS to be written before you allow yourself to become distracted.
It’s only a few sentences so it won’t take that long.
The hope here is, in doing that one paragraph your creative mind kicks into action and you perhaps write three or four.
It will probably take a while to build up a habit of taking action right from the get-go. But you may never be able to shake the urge to procrastinate and that’s something you will have to deal with should it be the case.
At least by using the method above you are still doing something. It’s just going to take longer to reach your goals than expected.
The hardest part is getting started.
If we practice doing just that then we can progress on to bigger and better things one step at a time.
Stop with the hesitation.
Forget about what others will think.
And just write.
It doesn’t even matter if what you write is that good — as you can see from this particular piece — just get the words down on the page.
The more you write the better you’ll become.
It’s time to pull the trigger and get sh*t done!
