1. Open up the project file (this is the one we resist the most).
2. Go straight to the issue that is causing you the most stress. The nagging sound issue, the second act plot hole, the bad acting from that girl you should never have cast ----- go to it! WORK ON IT! Just do it!
3. Turn your phone off. Close down your web-browser. Dedicate an hour to it. The problem is never the WORK, it's the resistance we feel BEFORE doing the work.
4. Accept that less than perfect is okay (Perfection in art is rare, and even if it did exist, it should probably be avoided).
5. Show your work to a friend and ask for three POSITIVE pieces of feedback. Often we struggle because of how fragile we are when it's going wrong. Getting that rare burst of positivity can help us rediscover what's good about the project.
6. Ignore the brain wave that rushes into your head and says "Actually, I have a great idea for that OTHER project!!". That's just avoidance, ignore it. The other project can wait.
7. Read this poem.
8. Fall in love. You'll complete your project in three days just to impress her/him.
9. Get dumped. You'll get ANGRY. You'll want to take over the WORLD! That burst of energy will ignite you to great heights!
10. Focus. Once you're 12 minutes in and focused, you're fine -- the time will fly by. But you have to do the work to get past the initial few minutes where all the distractions come racing in.
Fantastic post! Thank you, Kid, for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteI love this - and you're right, it's the first step that's the hardest.
ReplyDeleteI once PAID an editor to look at my work and then when she'd emailed me the edited novel, it took me A MONTH to get down to looking at it! And I am usually quite disciplined. Wish I'd seen this post months ago….
Helena xx
It's amazing how we do things like this. But don't worry, I can relate!
DeleteGreat advice. I think the most important thing is getting off the grid for a few hours. It's amazing how distracting the internet can be.
ReplyDeleteTOTALLY agree.
Deleteso good
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I will definitely follow these steps. I'm a master procrastinator.
ReplyDeleteWe all are!
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