This is a guest post by Petteri Ollila. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.
When you write for living, whether you do it for your blog or you are an author, it is crucial for your success to be persistent about writing. Especially if you are your own boss, no one is going to come and force you to start writing or whatever it is you should do today, so it is sometimes really hard to start.
The motivation just always isn’t there when you need it.
In my opinion, one of the biggest things that separates the most successful people from others is that successful people are able to stick to their habits and get things done even when the first burst of motivation wears off, and they are able to do the crucial things for their long-term success even during those days when you just don’t feel like doing anything.
Consistency is the key, and sticking to right habits every day can get us anywhere we want to in just one or two years. The good question is: how can you get things done even when you don’t have a slightest bit of motivation?
Here are my favorite tips for being able to start writing, no matter how unmotivated or distracted you are:
Unfortunately, your mind is always right.
If you keep telling yourself that you will succeed, you will succeed, and if you keep repeating that you will fail, you will fail. Don’t let your mind take control. It is sometimes like a feather in the wind, and you are the only one who can really take control of that feather, tame it, and put it where it belongs.
First, observe your negative thought externally. Think about how realistic it really is that you are going to fail, if just one week ago you felt like everything is going great. If saying aloud “I can do this!” a few times does not help, think about how many how many average people with no extraordinary skills have succeeded. If they have been able to do it, so are you!
Another thing that helped me to get rid of my negative thoughts today was thinking about my life in the long-term. I felt that I am not moving anywhere at the moment, but then I reminded myself about the fact that I am doing what I do at the moment for the long-term goals, and it doesn’t matter where I am at the moment if I just keep on doing what I love.
You have all the time in the world, so don’t rush, and if you still haven’t succeeded, you will find the way eventually if you just stay positive and persistent.
After you have killed your negative thoughts you can start writing.
Remember the feeling you have got after you have been able to finish your crucial tasks, such as writing a great article? What about the feeling you had when you did something difficult that helped you to move forward in your life, career, or business?
I remember the feeling I had when my first guest post was published and I had a burst of traffic to my new website. What could motivate you more than thinking about the feeling you had when you were able to achieve something important by writing?
It doesn’t even take a huge success story to get the amazing feeling – just taking a few steps daily that take you a little bit closer to your bigger goals can give an incredible satisfaction and bring a smile on your face.
You can achieve the same feeling really soon just by starting to write now.
Why not lower the bar? If your initial plan for the day was to write three perfect articles, send 15 e-mails to your potential business partners, report everything you do to your Twitter followers every second hour, and write 10 blog comments to your favorite blogs, maybe it’s just too much for you today.
I have personally set myself quite a low daily bar for achievement, when you compare it to the most efficient people out there, but hey, this is my life, so I am not ruin it by getting a burnout. If success is not possible without a burnout, I don’t want to succeed.
I have decided that no matter how unmotivated I feel, I am always going to write one article every day, except for the days that I decide to relax, and I usually give myself one or two days completely off every week.
When I do have the motivation, I can then achieve a lot more, but it’s good to have a minimum level of daily work that you are able to achieve, no matter how much you would like to do something else.
Writing one article a day is not that much. However, it is heck of a lot better option than doing nothing during the days you just don’t have any motivation. Remember that one article a day equals 365 articles a year, which is much more than most people will achieve even if they seem to be working eight hours a day in an office.
If even writing one article overwhelms you, start now by writing a title and one paragraph. That should not be too much, and just by starting you make it so much easier to then continue.
Start now by writing just one paragraph.
Instead, spend some time every day by reading interesting books, observing things that happen around you, reading magazines, and reading the best and most inspiring blogs.
Is there a person that has achieved the things that you would like to achieve? Look at what he or she has done and get inspired. Don’t copy, but pick some points or ideas for example of others’ writings and then apply those things to your own life.
Google is one of my best friends. I can ask Google anything and it will give me lots of great answers to choose from. Finding inspiration has never been easier than it is today, so instead of procrastinating, find something interesting right now, enjoy the moment, and get inspired.
When you have found something amusing, just start writing. Someone out there is already waiting to hear what you have to say.
When you write for living, whether you do it for your blog or you are an author, it is crucial for your success to be persistent about writing. Especially if you are your own boss, no one is going to come and force you to start writing or whatever it is you should do today, so it is sometimes really hard to start.
The motivation just always isn’t there when you need it.
In my opinion, one of the biggest things that separates the most successful people from others is that successful people are able to stick to their habits and get things done even when the first burst of motivation wears off, and they are able to do the crucial things for their long-term success even during those days when you just don’t feel like doing anything.
Consistency is the key, and sticking to right habits every day can get us anywhere we want to in just one or two years. The good question is: how can you get things done even when you don’t have a slightest bit of motivation?
Here are my favorite tips for being able to start writing, no matter how unmotivated or distracted you are:
1. Kill the negative thoughts
Replacing your negative thoughts with more positive ones is the first thing you should do. At least for me, negative thoughts are the main reason behind procrastination. It is only natural; sometimes you feel good about everything, believe that your future is going to be bright, and feel that your blog or book is going to be a success. The other days your mind just plays tricks on you and keeps telling you that you are going to fail and there is no reason to continue on your path.Unfortunately, your mind is always right.
If you keep telling yourself that you will succeed, you will succeed, and if you keep repeating that you will fail, you will fail. Don’t let your mind take control. It is sometimes like a feather in the wind, and you are the only one who can really take control of that feather, tame it, and put it where it belongs.
First, observe your negative thought externally. Think about how realistic it really is that you are going to fail, if just one week ago you felt like everything is going great. If saying aloud “I can do this!” a few times does not help, think about how many how many average people with no extraordinary skills have succeeded. If they have been able to do it, so are you!
Another thing that helped me to get rid of my negative thoughts today was thinking about my life in the long-term. I felt that I am not moving anywhere at the moment, but then I reminded myself about the fact that I am doing what I do at the moment for the long-term goals, and it doesn’t matter where I am at the moment if I just keep on doing what I love.
You have all the time in the world, so don’t rush, and if you still haven’t succeeded, you will find the way eventually if you just stay positive and persistent.
After you have killed your negative thoughts you can start writing.
2. Focus on the benefits
If replacing your negative thoughts with more positive ones was not enough and you still were not able to overcome your procrastination and lack of motivation, focusing on the benefits of the reaching your short-term goal should do the trick.Remember the feeling you have got after you have been able to finish your crucial tasks, such as writing a great article? What about the feeling you had when you did something difficult that helped you to move forward in your life, career, or business?
I remember the feeling I had when my first guest post was published and I had a burst of traffic to my new website. What could motivate you more than thinking about the feeling you had when you were able to achieve something important by writing?
It doesn’t even take a huge success story to get the amazing feeling – just taking a few steps daily that take you a little bit closer to your bigger goals can give an incredible satisfaction and bring a smile on your face.
You can achieve the same feeling really soon just by starting to write now.
3. Take baby steps
Sometimes the bar is just too high compared to your motivation, and even thinking about starting makes you feel overwhelmed.Why not lower the bar? If your initial plan for the day was to write three perfect articles, send 15 e-mails to your potential business partners, report everything you do to your Twitter followers every second hour, and write 10 blog comments to your favorite blogs, maybe it’s just too much for you today.
I have personally set myself quite a low daily bar for achievement, when you compare it to the most efficient people out there, but hey, this is my life, so I am not ruin it by getting a burnout. If success is not possible without a burnout, I don’t want to succeed.
I have decided that no matter how unmotivated I feel, I am always going to write one article every day, except for the days that I decide to relax, and I usually give myself one or two days completely off every week.
When I do have the motivation, I can then achieve a lot more, but it’s good to have a minimum level of daily work that you are able to achieve, no matter how much you would like to do something else.
Writing one article a day is not that much. However, it is heck of a lot better option than doing nothing during the days you just don’t have any motivation. Remember that one article a day equals 365 articles a year, which is much more than most people will achieve even if they seem to be working eight hours a day in an office.
If even writing one article overwhelms you, start now by writing a title and one paragraph. That should not be too much, and just by starting you make it so much easier to then continue.
Start now by writing just one paragraph.
4. Get inspired
When the blank sheet in Word stares at you and your head seems to be as empty as the sheet on your computer screen, inspire yourself. If you only focus on exporting information from your brains, you can easily run out of ideas at some point.Instead, spend some time every day by reading interesting books, observing things that happen around you, reading magazines, and reading the best and most inspiring blogs.
Is there a person that has achieved the things that you would like to achieve? Look at what he or she has done and get inspired. Don’t copy, but pick some points or ideas for example of others’ writings and then apply those things to your own life.
Google is one of my best friends. I can ask Google anything and it will give me lots of great answers to choose from. Finding inspiration has never been easier than it is today, so instead of procrastinating, find something interesting right now, enjoy the moment, and get inspired.
When you have found something amusing, just start writing. Someone out there is already waiting to hear what you have to say.
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