I wanted to have published 10 new articles by now this year.
"Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent." - Carl Sandburg
My pattern got disrupted. I needed to change the time of my accountability call and I was called down to LA for work. But the thing that broke the momentum most - was the broken promise to myself.
I often need bigger projects to get enough excitement to get in motion. So when I promised myself that I would write 10 articles - I got started with a lot of enthusiasm.
The challenge came when my habits were broken by a few urgent changes - for work.
It was no longer easy - and the deadlines felt flexible. So, today became tomorrow.
The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot." - Michael Altshuler
"Pressure can burst a pipe, or pressure can make a diamond." - Robert Horry
"If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done." - Bruce Lee
I’m sharing this story - not to focus on getting more done in a day.
I want you to know you are not alone in the struggle to get working on things you find important, and sometimes the strategies we use to get things done - don’t work.
After Reading the Confidence Gap by Russ Harris - I realize that our failures enforce a sabotaging voice - giving ammunition to internal arguments to lower our expectations or believe less of ourselves.
The Lesson
My struggle now - is to really learn.
I need to find a new strategy to start - that’s not about creating BIG inspiring projects - but perhaps to explore more options - and find the few with easy beginnings that align with my values.
How can I get excited about compounding my investments of time? Sure 15 minutes seems like a small part of my day - but if I write everyday for 15 minutes that would be 1% of my year. And perhaps that small investment done consistently will lead to bigger outcomes and improved content more than my episodic inspired dives into writing.
And Yes… - I see what I just did - I created a big idea to get momentum to move. So instead of writing every day - Maybe I could write for a minute today…
Who knows, maybe I’ll get inspired and publish the words that moment inspired?
"The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another."
- William James
yeah man! love the experimental form here! Also like the encouragement and the affirmation of the writing, and the quotes