first step (2)

Unlike the guy in the photo above, you’re sitting in front of your computer and you’ve turned it on. (Would it really have been that hard to power it on for a quick stock photo shoot?) Now all you can think about is how much you really don’t want to start writing that essay or proposal that you’ve been meaning to get to. You know that you should really make some progress on it today, but you’re so tempted to put it off for another day, or two, or three. What do you do?

Schedule time to write and start small.

Would you rather get a root canal done than write a paragraph of your report? Schedule 30 or even just 15 minutes of writing time into your day every single day. Think you can start with an hour? Go for it!

Even if you start with 15-minute chunks of time, you may get so into the zone that you end up writing for much longer without even realizing it. The key is to commit to a certain amount of writing time every day until you finish your essay or report. When you write a little bit every day, it’s easier and less painful to get into writing mode each day. You also know that you’re going to put in your 30 or 60 minutes for the day and then move on to doing something less painful. It helps. Really.