Sometimes it is hard to make myself sit down to write – partly because of things outwith my control, and partly because there are always so many other things to do:
- My proper job: I’ve got my own business, providing web content to professional services firms, and some weeks are busier than others. I figure this is a legitimate excuse.
- Being a taxi driver: “So, you need to be taken to the city for district hockey training, twice a week for the next few years, and it’ll take an hour to get there, last two hours and there’s no point me going home in between?”
- Getting involved: committees… meetings… rota’s… need I say more?
- Walking the dog: two hours a day, minimum. It’s hard to write when you have a dog bouncing about the house. My solution is to tire him out first, but it does take a heck of a long time…
- Cleaning the house: actually, I’m kidding about this one. Writing is my excuse for not cleaning the house.
- Gardening: again, I’m kidding. Have you seen my garden?
- Surfing the internet: I’m researching, honest!
- Reading: got to check out the competition, you know.
- Going out for coffee: It’s lonely working from home. It’s very important to keep in touch with people…
The solution is, quite often, to give yourself a kick up the backside. The wise words of Stephen Pressfield always work for me:
“If we are struggling with fear, self-sabotage, procrastination, self-doubt, etc., the problem is, we’re thinking like amateurs. Amateurs don’t show up. Amateurs crap out. Amateurs let adversity defeat them. The pro thinks differently. He shows up, he does his work, he keeps on truckin’, no matter what.”
Time to get truckin’…
Helen MacKenzie 