How to Write Even When you don’t feel like it.
How I crumbled the overwhelming mountain of procrastination and launched myself into the career of my dreams.
There was a time in the past when I was always waiting to be motivated before doing anything. I soon realized the dice were on me as time flew by, and I never got anything done.
I would dream of the moment, time, or day when the right words, perfect inspiration, or inner strength would come and It almost never did. When it did, it won’t last long enough to achieve or complete the desired goal. I only ended up with a stack of half-done ideas and projects.
Reality Check
On one of my lazy days, I needed something from my shelf, and I happened on some half-written poems, songs, books, ideas, proposals, and the worst…?
Several uncompleted daily journals.
Who starts to write about themselves and only gets out two to three lines?
What motivation does anyone need to write about their experience in a journal? Well, yours truly was that ‘demotivated’.
I felt like a failure and this was not a feeling I particularly liked. What to do? I did two things. Right there and then, I asked myself a couple of questions and made some quick life-changing decisions.
One was to stop seeking motivation outside of myself or expect a special revelation or happenstance from somewhere.
Two was to just do what needed to be done. I mean, just get the hell up and do it. No overthinking, no contemplation, Just do!
Three things I did
Personal Mantras & Affirmations
At the time, I had been learning about meditations and affirmations and had had a couple of stints that turned out positive.
I decided to write three declarations to meditate on and affirm daily that touched on resolve, self-will, and discipline.
All I needed to do was tell myself the same thing genuinely and repeatedly and it would eventually rub off on my actions. It worked in other areas of my life, so I just needed to apply it in this area of my life. You should too!
Write After
Shortly after I made this decision, I was comforted by my stand and I felt motivated but this was short-lived as I realized I needed an action plan. I became a bit anxious and almost went back to procrastination mode.
I asked myself when, where, and what I would write about? I looked up my daily schedule and activities and I was able to come up with a where and when plan.
I decided I would write immediately after my daily meditations/affirmations. At this time, my mind is uncluttered and my thoughts are clear. My words — pure, refreshing, and empowering will come from a calm and positive place.
Meditations/affirmations usually stir up all sorts of emotions e.g motivation, inspiration, and most of all the will to do the seemingly impossible. It only felt logical for this to be the best time to draw motivation and churn out the words.
Write Any & Everything
Two down, one to go. Now I was left with the ‘what to write’ question. How do I come up with content, and what niche should I focus on? Will I have time for the research?
Considering I had to do this after my meditation/affirmation, I factored in the amount of time I might need to write and the pressure to get up and prep for the day.
Again, I am anxious just thinking about this.
I knew if I overthink it or if the processes get too long, I would come up with reasons and excuses to back out.
Then boom! I had an epiphany- write anything!
Why should I restrict myself?
I decided to write any and everything at the spur of the moment and that was it.
Along the way, I started to set a fifteen to twenty minutes reminder to keep me in check.
This made It feel easy enough and I was always eager to do it.
Last Words
As writers, we can be very unmotivated and overwhelmed by the idea of sitting through an article, a book, or whatever form of writing we have to do.
It can feel like a mountain that needs to be brought down.
The idea is to start simple.
Whatever works for you, break it into the simplest and most seamless art to perform and ensure to add a twist or tweak of fun to make you look forward to it.
When it doesn’t feel like a mountain, You actually see yourself doing it and you eventually do.
