An Unplanned Post

Well, hello friends! 

I must be honest in saying, I don't really have a plan for this post. As I'm writing this very sentence I'm wondering what will come next and what will come after that. 

Believe it or not, that's often how writing goes. Sometimes you have a basic idea of what you want to say, but you're still not quite sure what will come out. And then, like occasions such as this, you just have absolutely no idea what will occur. 

But that's ok. 

Because the fact of the matter is- I'm writing. I'm getting words down on paper and I'm no longer procrastinating writing this post. 

It's interesting because, just today [the day of writing this post's first draft, that is], I listened to a lesson on YDubs that Brett Harris shared on writer's block. Essentially, the best thing to do is to sit in front of the doc and just write. It could even just be one sentence and that would be enough. And then, since you're there and you're just letting words flow, you write another sentence, and another, and another until you have a paragraph.

Writing isn't all about breaking records and reaching impossible goals. Of course, it can be fun to see how much you can write in a certain amount of time and do things like word sprinting and so on, but that's not the main focus. The main focus is to just. write. 

I know that everyone operates differently, so this may not work for you, but I personally find it super helpful to just set small goals and add them together in reaching one big goal. For example, saying, "I'm going to go all day today without eating any refined sugar!" is so much easier than saying "I'm going to go all month without eating any refined sugar!". You can build up and combine the days to reach a month so much easier that way than if you were to go a long stretch without any smaller goals in between. 

So, that's what I'm doing. I'm taking this blog post sentence by sentence until I reach my goal of wiring for half an hour today (fifteen minutes was spent on other things, fifteen minutes will have been spent on this). 

And do you know what- I may look back on this post and think "I wish I had some structure and format", but what truly matters is the fact that I wrote today.

I would highly encourage you guys to try to do the same. What's that one thing you've been procrastinating on? Is it editing an article? Then go make one edit and see where you can go from there. Is it working on your WIP? Write one sentence and see what naturally flows next. Is it a chore around the house that you need to complete? Break the chore down into easier tasks and just take them on one at once. 

After you've done that, try to keep going if you can, but, if you can't, don't worry. You worked on it! You did it! It may not seem like much but, remember- Rome wasn't built in a day. You need to learn how to walk before you can run and then how to run before you can become a professional athlete. 

Wherever you are in your writing journey, don't be afraid to take those simple steps towards your goal because they all add up and, before you know it, you look back and say, "Wow... I've come so far!"

So, there you go. As I anticipate the beeping of the timer telling me my time has passed, I leave you with this blog post. 

It wasn't planned, but I knew I had to write it so I did. 

Now it's your turn to go make your future-self happy that you took that simple step to overcome your fears, distractions, writer's block, and anything else holding you back. 

And remember, above all...

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" -Philippians 4:13

Comments

  1. This is great advice, Beth! Some tasks can seem very daunting at first, but you really just need to get started and keep going.

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