Dear Lexis,
I’m having a hard time getting projects done. I have so many things I want to finish, but when the time comes to spend some time on any of them, I feel like I have to force myself in order to make any progress, and then the next time I’m even less motivated. What would you suggest?
Thanks,
~ Stalled
Dear Stalled,
I can relate to your dilemma. I’m one of those people who hates to schedule but have a long list of projects that need to be worked on. For example, I would love to learn to play the guitar, but learning to play the guitar requires near ritualistic practice in order to become a skill you can actually use. It’s frustrating for me because I don’t want to regimen my day and block it out in hour-long chunks, but the truth of the matter is: if you want to accomplish something, you have to make time for it.
As an author, advice you get from successful writers often includes “write every day” and “it doesn’t matter what you write, as long as you write something.” The main reason for this advice is that as you train your brain to be creative at the same time every day, inspiration becomes more predictable and you become more productive. It makes a lot of sense and yet, when it comes to sitting down, I still have to force myself to begrudgingly focus and get to work if I want to accomplish anything.
I’m not sure you can ever entirely remove force from projects. We humans have a strong enough lazy streak (by necessity) that anything we choose to do, we choose to do because we believe it will bring us more happiness than doing nothing. Sometimes, even while knowing that a task will bring you joy, you will still have to defy the desire to remain stationary; and the easiest way to defy such a desire is with habit.
Sometimes you really do need a schedule, as much as I hate to admit it. However, you need to be realistic when it comes to scheduling and you need to go easy on yourself. Here are three things you can do to set up a schedule you might just stick to.
You may have a million projects you wish to complete, but do not put them all on the schedule. I know that for me, I easily have enough projects that I could fill up the day utilizing hour increments and still have projects left over.
Don’t overbook here.
Pick one or two things you would like to implement and add those in, that way you are getting something productive done, but you’re only needing to combat your desire to veg for a couple of hours.
Especially if you’re someone that defies schedules, do not book yourself to commit to more than an hour of work on any given day, per project. Sometimes, you may even find an hour to be too large of a commitment, so feel free to cut your project time even shorter if you feel the need.
The main thing you need to do with this schedule is stick with it day by day, that daily commitment is leagues more important than the amount of time per day as you establish the habit. You may up the time allotment later on but, for now, just make sure to pick an amount of time that you can stick with and doesn’t leave you feeling burned out.
Rather than just planning on working during the day, you’re far more likely to follow through if you have a consistent timetable in which to complete it. If you don’t have an alarm set daily, you’re quite likely to delay the work until you run out of day entirely.
I find that morning often works best if you can manage it because you complete your project work early on and simply bask in the good feeling that such accomplishment brings throughout the rest of the day.
And that’s all you really need to accomplish anything you want to accomplish. It’s simple and it’s straightforward, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it isn’t a big deal. A single person can change the world in dramatic ways if they work at it for one hour every day, so now is your chance.
Good luck with your scheduling,
~ Lexis
Alexis Baker writes from her home in Olympia. Write to her at Lexis@theJOLTnews.com
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