Just Friggin’ Do It (whatever ‘it’ is)

You know the scene, it’s 2 hours after the deadline, you reckon you can slip it in late, but your house is really, really clean.

You get the picture.  You have this article to write and it has to be in by the 20th.  You open up a shiny, clean new page (real or virtual) and then you pull a massive blank.

Like so blank, you can’t even come up with the title.

You stand up, stretch and look out your office window.  And then you remember, you haven’t put on the washing yet this morning. So you go gather the load, put it on and while you’re there, just give the kitchen a quick wipe-over.

You go back to your office.

Write the title and 2 lines but feeling uninspired, you delete it all.

You check in to Facebook, hoping you might see an inspirational quote that will give you an idea for your article.

Instead you catch the title ’10 Weirdest Diseases You Probably Can’t Avoid in Your Lifetime’ – knowing it’s absolute garbage and a total waste of time, you click through.

You were right, the article is ridiculous but that doesn’t stop you reading it all AND clicking through to another one from the link and the crazy title at the bottom of the page.

45 minutes later you return to your blank screen.  You’re beginning to feel desperate, and hungry.

You go back to the kitchen, make yourself a cup of tea and open the fridge.  Then the cupboard, then the fridge again.

Armed with tea, a cookie (two actually!) you head back to your blank screen.

Rinse and repeat…until you end up 2 hours after your deadline, hoping and praying you can still get it completed; ashamed of all your wasted time.

Sound familiar? Don’t despair, here are some strategies that WILL help you, I promise – they’ve changed my habits and my productivity BIG TIME!

1. Go for a walk before you even start, to clear your mind.  As you begin your way back home, allow yourself to think gently about what you can write.
2. Choose the right time of day to write (do you know when that is for you?).
3. Go into your office and shut the door.
4. Then shut down Facebook (I mean really shut it down)
5. If you are still distracted – go to a coffee shop and don’t leave until your article is completed!

Of course, the most important thing – just do it, get the darn thing done! You’ll feel so much better, and then you can go celebrate – you’re finished and you might even have a clean house