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 Start Building Toward the Future You Want
You want to write because you know that it's an
incredible tool to build exposure and leverage your authority as an
expert in your niche.
So you sit down to write, but you find yourself
distracted. Or your find yourself putting it off, excusing this writing
session for other tasks. Whatever the story is, you're not getting any
closer to meeting your writing goal.
This is a similar story for all of those people
who wanted to exercise, learn a new language, play the piano, or pick up
some other fulfilling task that will either help them meet professional
or personal goals.
"Here's what you've got to do," the gurus say.
"You've got to make writing a habit. Simply drum up the discipline,
write for 21 days straight and voila! You've started a new habit and are
well on your way to success."
Sound familiar?
Everyone can recommend a strategy that has
worked for them, but the fact of the matter is that there's no
"one-size-fits-all" strategy. You need to find a strategy that works for
you.
Let's do just that - let's build a habit that sticks.
Why We Do What We Do Despite of Ourselves
Pulitzer prize winning author Charles Duhigg
shares how to harness the science behind habits in order to build better
businesses, communities, and lives in his book The Power of Habit.*
Duhigg maintains that there are 3 elements that create habits:
In order to change or create powerful habits, Duhigg recommends 4 steps:
Whether to stop bad habits or implement good
ones, changing your habits is all about experimentation and data
collection so you can appropriately adjust your routine in the face of a
particular cue and still get the equivalent of the reward you crave.
To illustrate Duhigg's recommended strategy, let's tackle one bad habit many authors are guilty of: procrastination.
Breaking Bad Habits
"We all know how procrastination and dilatory
tactics help us to stay away from writing. We are only too happy to
cover up our follies and blame 'writer's block,' which is nothing but
lack of discipline on our part." - Ritesh Agarwal, Turn Off Your TV and Write Articles! Comments
We've all done it. We've all sacrificed a writing goal by making up some excuse:
No wonder we can't get anything done! Ritesh's
outlook on procrastination in the quote above is absolutely right - it's
a lack of self-control on our parts and we're quick to make excuses and
blame lack of inspiration or writer's block. Simple or elaborate, our
procrastination may have been born out of a choice we once made (no
matter how valid), but it may have transitioned into an unconscious
habit we now make.
Here's how you may break the cycle of
procrastination using Duhigg's steps. Let's use checking Facebook, the
common procrastination flavor of the decade, as an example:
1. The Routine:
You sit down to write. During your writing
session, you tell yourself you'll quickly check your Facebook page. You
end up on Facebook for 15-30 minutes (maybe longer), taking out a chunk
out of your writing time and interrupting your writing flow state.
Cue (????) - > Routine (Checking Facebook) - > Reward (????)
2. Experiment with the Reward:
Consider a variety of benefits you get out of the routine and then change the routine to see if you get a similar reward.
For example, people use Facebook for any number of reasons:
So the next time you feel the Facebook itch
during your writing sessions, try doing the equivalent off Facebook for a
set period of time, such as 5-10 minutes (many of these will take a
little pre-planning on your part):
Note: These aren't solutions to your procrastination problem! We're experimenting to identify why you're craving Facebook.
Once you've performed the new routine when you
get the itch to check Facebook, consider how you feel, what you saw, or
any other reflections that come off the top of your head. Write these
down so you can track it.
Next, once 15 minutes have passed after
performing the new routine, consider - are you still craving Facebook?
If you are, then try swapping out another routine. If you aren't, you're
ready for the next step.
For the sake of illustration, let's say you discovered the reward you felt for checking Facebook was socializing with friends.
Cue (????) - > Routine (Checking Facebook) - > Reward (Catching Up with Friends)
3. Discovering the Cue:
Each time you get the craving to check Facebook in order to socialize with friends, fill in the blanks:
After a while, you'll see a pattern emerge in one of the above criteria, such as:
Let's say the pattern that emerged is that there
are people talking around you, such as your kids or coworkers, which
triggers you to check Facebook to reap the feel-good reward of catching
up with friends.
Cue (People talking) - > Routine (Checking Facebook) - > Reward (Catching Up with Friends)
4. Have a plan.
Get ahead of the habit by implementing a plan.
For example, to circumvent the cue of people
talking around you, control what you can hear by wearing headphones and
listening to music that will help you focus. Try isolating yourself into
a quiet space - some authors have even gone as far as creating a
writing space in the toolshed of their backyards!
Also, have a contingency plan! Try using an
if/then statement ("If I have this cue, then I will do this"). For
example, "if I hear people talking, I will write a note to myself to
check Facebook at a feasible and non-disruptive time." Here's another
example: "If I feel unmotivated, then I will read an article by an
author who inspires me." These statements will create positive cues that
will also help your brain prioritize tasks and choose writing over
checking Facebook.
I know - these 4 steps seem rather intricate and
experimenting can take up to 2 weeks, but understanding the cause of
your bad habits that prevent you from reaching your writing goals is
well worth it. Next, let's talk about getting your writing habit to
stick.
Making Writing a Habit: How to Crave Writing
In order to make writing a long-lasting habit,
Dr. BJ Fogg of Stanford University asserts that planning for behavior
change (creating good or breaking bad habits) is entirely systematic by
creating "tiny habits" using the following three steps:**
It's important to reiterate that Fogg's "tiny
habits" method targets designing behavioral change in small increments
rather than focusing on the desired outcome. Over time, your "tiny
habits" of this will expand into bigger behavior and larger output.
Finally, make it even easier to write by
creating shortcuts. These could include setting out your work the night
before, creating a to-do list, drafting a rough outline, or using
writing prompts like the article templates.
These will help you eliminate the "what should I" or "what was I going
to write about" delay in the morning. That way you don't have to hem and
haw over the choice and you can just jump right to it.
Let's Wrap These Habits Up
If you're not sure where to start to create long-lasting habits, consider this quote by Stephen King:
"A man who can't bear to share his habits is a man who needs to quit them."
Isn't it time to start building new habits you would love to be proud of and share with the world?
What are you waiting for?! You have the tools!
Start systematically approaching your habits - good and bad - to achieve
your goals today. And before you go, share what habit you'd like to
break, what shortcut you'll create to make writing easier every day, or
what's your secret to writing every day. We'd love to hear from you!
Want more resources like this? Check out these 5 articles that will help you on your way to make writing a rewarding habit:
References:
*Duhigg, Charles. The Power of Habit (New York: Random House, 2012). **Fogg, BJ. "Fogg Method," http://www.foggmethod.com/ |
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 To Your Article Writing Success & Passion! Vanessa, Editorial Manager http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ |
Kamis, 19 Juni 2014
Breaking Bad Habits
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