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INSIDE THIS ISSUE - May 6, 2009
May 6, 2009
A Note from the Editor
Tracy Steen, Ph.D.
It's time to write. You think about getting started, but what about those other commitments?
There is always something else--
the dishes to wash,
the bills to pay,
the bathroom to clean,
the dog's ear medicine.
World without end!
I love that poem by Peggy Reber in Writing Alone, a writing guide by author Pat Schneider. If you procrastinate at all when it comes to writing, that little poem will speak to you.
Of course, you would prefer that it not speak to you. (In other words, you would prefer not to be so familiar with procrastination.) Instead, you would like to be immersed in a disciplined writing life, right?
Assuming you gave an affirmative nod, you are in luck. In this issue, Dr. Nancy Whichard provides several concrete suggestions for establishing a daily writing routine that you can maintain over time. Follow through with her plan and you may gain even more than your initial goal of greater proficiency in your writing. As Dr. Whichard points out, "Following through on difficult commitments may be the way to happiness."
It's a must read.
Inspirational Quotes
"Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted
task."
-- William James
"Procrastination is opportunity's assassin."
-- Victor Kiam
"You may delay, but time will not."
-- Benjamin Franklin
"The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough."
-- Rabindranath Tagore
"Take care in your minutes, and the hours will take care of themselves."
-- Lord Chesterfield
Putting Specifics around Your
Writing Plans Can Lead to Happiness
Nancy Whichard, Ph.D.
Getting started is the hardest part of writing
Do you put off writing because it's just too painful to start?
Are you among the many writers who find starting to write painful because
you're putting your head into a scary, empty space?
You'll look for anything to fill it. You find yourself clicking to YouTube
or reaching for the remote to the little TV next to your computer or feeling
hungry, really hungry. You want to fill that empty space with food or noise
or anything that happens to be on TV.
You've heard of people who get up early every morning and write for two hours
or people who come home after working all day and find the courage and perseverance
to write then.
Such commitments take not only courage and perseverance, but they also increase
other character strengths, such as optimism, hope, and zest for life. Following
through on difficult commitments may be the way to happiness.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The question is how can getting started writing and sticking with it be made
easier? It would be much easier to start writing if you had a daily routine
where writing was a habit.
But how do you get a daily routine established? What does it take to put in
place a daily routine with a robust writing habit?
Too often you hear that the way to get writing done is to "just do it."
People who routinely make room in their busy days for additional commitments
may appear to "just do it."
But ask someone who has added to their busy day a taxing commitment, such
as running or swimming or teaching a class or producing text for a difficult
writing project, if they "just do it."
Or do they have strategies, rituals, and preliminaries that help them get
started and get the job done?
Take running, for example
You can learn a lot from those people who not only get up and go to work every
day but also find time for exercise, the kind of exercise that is time-consuming,
exhausting, and painful. Take running, for example.
I talked recently to a young woman who makes time to run every day, along
with juggling a busy career and home life. Even though running has been a
big part of her life for years, she still has to work at ignoring the mind
chatter from ole Lizard Brain, who strongly suggests that she take it easy.
Deciding when to run
I asked my runner friend if she decides each day if and when she will run.
She says she has decided that she cannot run when she leaves work for the
day because there are too many distractions at home. It's too easy to flop
on her couch in front of her TV and never get up.
Instead she runs at her gym during her lunch hour.
Incentives always help
She has extra incentives that make it easier for her to go to her gym:
• The gym is a pleasant place with jazz playing in the locker room
• The cost is partially subsidized by her company and insurance
• The gym is only a short walk from her office
But it's still work.
Building momentum
Knowing that each day she will feel resistance, she has put in place some
easy goals during her morning at the office -- several specific tasks-- that
build the momentum she needs in order to run.
The small tasks keep her from focusing on what could be momentum-stoppers
if she thought about them--the inconvenience of showering in mid-day, the
time running takes, and the pain.
--10:15 a.m.:
She takes breakfast to work--cereal/milk/juice--and eats it at 10:15 am. By
noon, the food has settled and she's not so hungry that she has to eat again.
11:30 a.m.:
--Around 11:30 am, still at work, she starts drinking water in order to be
hydrated.
11:45 a.m.
--Sometimes she stretches at work so as not to lose time on her lunch hour.
--Decisions made before she reaches the locker room:
As she walks to the gym, she reminds herself that in 1 hour and 5 minutes,
she will be back at her desk. The certainty of the amount of time she will
run lets her know not only how long she will run, but also how fast she will
run. She knows that she can run 3 ¼ miles each day at lunch.
--At the locker room:
She starts to feel better just putting clothes on. As she said -- once she
is set up, her feet know what to do. At that point, she's hit a big milestone--signifying
that she's met each of the smaller goals along the way.
And she can already anticipate the rewards of having greater mental clarity
and feeling healthier that running always gives her.
The keys to her success?
1. Momentum
She knows that starting and carrying through on the sequence of steps each
morning will allow her to run during her lunch hour.
2. Consistency
Her plan does not vary greatly. She tries to deliver on each step every morning.
2. Definite time to start and stop
Determining that she will use her lunch hour to run relieves her of having
to decide when or for how long she will run.
3. The fewer the uncertainties and decisions, the more likely it is that she
will run.
And how will her plan help you?
As a writer, you, too, will know the pleasure and benefit of reaching your
goal of writing every day if you:
1. Determine the time of day you will start writing.
Avoid waiting until late in the day when you're exhausted and when distractions
have their greatest allure.
2. Determine how long each writing session will be.
Make the length of time realistic, do-able, and appropriate to the other demands
of your day;
3. Develop a sequence of specific steps that you take at determined times.
Each step will lead you closer to that milestone of putting your hands on
the keyboard--building momentum and also motivation, a readiness to do the
work;
4. Put yourself in a good mood through your surroundings. Stand at a window
and feel the sun on your face, give yourself a few moments out of doors, or
choose music to set the mood.
And you will start writing. Hurray!
What was that about happiness?
At the end of your scheduled writing session, you will feel more hopeful and
optimistic about your project and, very likely, you will have increased zest
for life.
That sounds like happiness to me.
Dr. NANCY WHICHARD, Contributor, ABDSG; Director, MentorCoach Academic
and Writing Coaching Programs
Nancy Whichard, Ph.D., PCC, is a dissertation and career coach. She has successfully
coached to completion doctoral candidates from 40 major American universities
and from many Western European and Canadian universities, as well. She holds
a Ph.D. in English from the University of Maryland and for two decades was
on the English and Literature faculties at George Washington University and
American University. A recovering academic, Nancy knows the importance of
politics and diplomacy in negotiating the dissertation experience. Nancy has
added a Virtual Dissertation Boot Camp to her offerings. For more information
on the Virtual Dissertation Boot Camp and on coaching, email Nancy at nancy@nancywhichard.com.
Sign up for her Smart Tips for Writers e-newsletter at www.nancywhichard.com
and read her blog at www.successfulwritingtips.com.