Something happened last week that I’m not proud of. Maybe I’m overreacting. I just like things done a certain way, set high expectations for myself, and am, undoubtedly, my worst critic. I’m a perfectionist. I thought that was a good thing. Now, I’m not so sure. [Read more…] about What Happens When You Rush…
Writing Off the Grid
The ‘One Day’ Syndrome
In my early twenties, I realized I wanted to be a writer. Not a writer who wrote just for the love of it. A writer — a bestselling author whose books inspire and stay with readers long after they put them down. And even though I’d been honest with myself and acknowledged my dream, I acted like someone who was ashamed of it. Who was I to want to be a writer? What did I have to say? And would people care or listen? That was the doubt speaking. And while I did write, I approached it half-heartedly, still believing that it was nothing but a silly dream. I suffered from the One Day Syndrome. “One day,” became my mantra. “One day I’ll make my dream come true.” [Read more…] about The ‘One Day’ Syndrome
How to Outrun Procrastination
A while ago on Twitter, I had a number of exchanges with other artists (mostly writers) about what they’d accomplished during the day. The responses varied. Someone had been working on book two of a romance trilogy. Another had polished a short story they planned to submit for publication. Someone else had a Sci-Fi-horror feature in the works. Someone admitted to not having had a productive day. Procrastination came knocking on the door, which they’d answered and let in that sly-smiling curmudgeon. [Read more…] about How to Outrun Procrastination
Productivity Hack: Eliminate the Time-Suck
What do you want to do more of? Write? Spend time with your family? Paint? There’s a solution: eliminate the time-suck.
The key to getting more done or doing more of what you love isn’t about managing time more efficiently. We can’t change that there are sixty minutes in an hour, 168 hours in a week, 52 weeks in a year…
What we can do is monitor how we spend our time. How many hours do you spend watching TV each day? Hooked on The Bachelor, The Walking Dead or The Voice? Or how often do you pick up your phone to check your social media accounts or e-mail? Take a look at the Screen Time report on your phone and find out. You better sit down first. [Read more…] about Productivity Hack: Eliminate the Time-Suck
Celebrate Your Wins
Being an artist — writer, painter, sculptor, dancer — can be lonely. We spend lots of time alone creating, practicing our art. We battle resistance, procrastination and self-doubt as we work to bring our art into the world.
As artists, we persevere. We keep going because this is our calling, and we must heed the call.
Sometimes, though, when we’re focused on achieving a goal, we overlook the progress we’ve made. When I’m writing a novel, I don’t really think about the long hours I’ve put in, or how many days I’ve shown up to do the work. I’m so focused on the end goal — clicking ‘Publish’ on Amazon — that I forget about all the steps it took to get to that point. [Read more…] about Celebrate Your Wins