“Procrastination is the thief of true productivity, success and progress!”
Perhaps the greatest roadblock to becoming an author or writing articles may be procrastination! I speak much along these lines in my book, “Diligence, The Master Key To Achieving Your Dreams.” We keep putting things off, saying that we will get to it later. This is true for practically any area where true success and progress is available and attainable, however, never reached because one keeps putting things off.
To procrastinate does not mean that we are not intending on doing something. Oh, we intend on doing it. We intend on writing that article. We intend on getting that book done. We intend on doing that new podcast. We intend on cleaning up that room. (Smile) However, while intentions are good, they are actually no good and of no value until we act upon them. Intending on writing is not writing.
Procrastination is putting things off continually, while always promising yourself (and perhaps others) that you will get to it later or soon. The person will procrastinates never does for ‘later’ apparently never really comes for this person.
Your time is valuable, probably one of the greatest assets you have been given. If you desire to make progress as a writer or an author, you will have to practice managing your time wisely and make the firm decision to ‘MASTER PROCRASTINATION.’ No one truly succeeds until he/she does!
What will it take to master procrastination? First, it will take a made up mind. It will take a resolve to get up and get going in the direction you desire to go, with the firm determination to reach you mark. As an author, practice making timelines of when you are going to write your book and when you are going to finish. Develop the habit of writing each day, or at least five days a week, even if it is only a few paragraphs or a few pages. Don’t look at how far you have to go. Instead, make progress each day. An old Chinese proverb by Lao Tzu says, and I quote, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” Keep this in mind as you pursue your goals as a writer or in any endeavor in life. Each step towards your goal is progress!
I would also caution you to stop beating yourself up repeatedly concerning what you have not done yet. It is easy to continually blame oneself for things we intended to do, but for some reason or another, we did not do. Stop condemning yourself. Instead, look at what you need to do now. That is what matters. Then get busy doing, get busy writing!
The second thing we shall have to practice doing in order to master procrastination is to write even if we do not get that “writing feeling!” Feelings are interesting. Much of the time, in order to make true progress on any goal, we have to go past our emotions of the moment and simply focus on doing what we need to do. I write whether I feel like it or not. Amazingly, my feelings come along afterwards. This is an incredible point, so consider it well. STOP waiting on the feelings to write, (or to work on your goals, even if it is simply cleaning up your room). (Smile).
Get busy working on that goal. Get busy writing. Get busy doing and your feelings – when it sees you are serious – will follow. As you progress in putting your feelings under, mastering procrastination, you will discover that – if you are consistent and persistent – your feelings will start to become your friend and learn to work with your desires, purposes and pursuits.
MASTER PROCRASTINATION! Work each day on writing. If you persist and be diligent you will reach your goal, one day at a time, one step at a time!
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