I have a big project that I’m working on this summer – my new book – and YET, there are times when I simply don’t feel like doing the work. Here’s what I’m doing to give myself a “loving kick in the butt” to get going. 😉
Would love to hear your thoughts – be sure to post them here, k?
These are great tips! I did a book this year: 30 Days of Marketing Tips based on the tips that I sent out through diymarketingmonth.com. The kick in the butt for me was having accountability with someone where we set aside a certain amount of time on a given day with check in calls every so often to check progress.
Tina – Great tips that many of us can relate to! Your last one, on interviewing people, is something not enough people do. Writing a book without insights from others can feel claustrophobic. Plus, when we engage with others and find out that our concept and ideas resonate, it’s extremely motivational. (I will check back on your progress!). Fyi, I had a guest post on writing productivity tips at BookBaby this week which you and your community might find useful, so I thought I’d share the link. http://bit.ly/MMAjfZ
Thanks Janet – i’m pretty jazzed to be having all the conversations with folks about this, can’t wait to pick some brains!
Congrats on the book, Tina! And Janet is right … it helps to do interviews, on several levels. Another one is that by having more people anxiously awaiting the publication of the book, you’ll have a built-in audience of buyers when it comes out. I sold quantities of books to several of the people who I had interviewed and featured in it. Plus you never know who you’ll meet along the way that you didn’t know before the interview!
If I find myself in what I call the “but I don’t want to do that internal temper tantrum” I will withhold myself from doing something I really want to do. For instance, it may be leaving the office an hour early or starting a new project. Kind of like how you don’t let your kids have desert until they eat their veggies. Hope that helps Tina!
internal temper tantrum – LOL, love that! I totally have those moments. 🙂
Great tips! I work from home as a virtual recruiter on 2 seperate contracts, and I am trying to write a book as well. The best thing that works for me is the friendly reminding type friend. I told them what I am doing, I told them to check on me, and I told them to challenge me as to why I am not to a certain point on a project. The accountability factor seems to be the best for me since I am virtual and I do not have anyone to “chat” with over a watercooler or look over my shoulder.  The managers on accounts I work are so impressed with my work, I never hear from them. So I had to create my own accountability systems.
what book are you writing?
I want to learn to write, and I resist. I picked up a great tip from Denise Milligan from ZoomCrew. Pick something you want to move you towards your dream life and do it a little bit every day. The conversation with myself over how long to set as writing time amused me.Â
Idealist, “Take Wednesday afternoons and start writing.Realist, “Oh no way, you might as well shoot me now, because that would be torture.Idealist, “How about an hour a day? Realist, “I want to please you, and I’d rather go play where the sun shines and the birds sing.”Idealist,  “Well then, 30 minutes?Realist, “Ugh”Idealist, “Oh for crying out loud, can you do 15 minutes a day?”Realist, ” Hmmm…. Yes, yes I think I can. I could try. Not promising anything.”
Idealist, ” Hallelujah”
In reality, 15 minutes has been working. I don’t keep a lot of what I write, but I do sit my bottom in the chair and make the pen move.Â
And, I just did my daily assignment submitting this comment with plenty of time to bask in the sun.
Great tips Tina! Â One of the things that helps me maximize purposefulness is to reflect on why what I am doing (or wanting to do) is important to others and how I can get myself out of the way so that I can get going. Â I can easily get hung up on myself and lose focus on why what I’m doing matters to others and how it can be of service to them. Â When I stay grounded in others, I’m less likely to put things off.
love that Sherri – great reminder to keep the focus where it should be.