So, it’s almost the end of January and the optimism of New Year’s Eve has probably fizzled. It’s completely normal to have ups and downs in your motivation and energy levels, so don’t beat yourself up!
However, a drop in drive is a good time to check over your plans and goals and make sure you know your ‘why’ for each one.
If you set goals which you truly want to achieve (not things you just think you ‘should’ want to do) then getting re-energised should be simple.
It’s time to take a hard look at your list and think about WHY you set those particular goals.
For example, if you wrote ‘finish my novel in 2018’, then think about why that is important to you. Your ‘why’ can be financial, personal, emotional, whatever… It doesn’t matter (and you never need to tell another living soul) but it has to be real and true.
Be as specific and as honest as you can about your motivation and, ideally, write it down.
This process can be liberating, too, as it can help you to weed out goals in which you aren’t properly invested, giving you more focus for the things which are truly important.
It’s important to remember that your list doesn’t have to remain static and it’s not ‘cheating’ to alter your priorities.
If you go back to your list and find that you no longer care about something on it or that you have changed your mind about the value of a particular task, then you can cross it off with a clear conscience. Equally, you might find that your ‘why’ has changed for a particular goal and by recognising this, you give yourself a lovely jolt of enthusiasm for the project.
Now, pick your main goal and imagine you have already achieved it. Spend time in this daydream, imagining it fully and allowing yourself to feel the sense of excitement and achievement. Now, bring yourself back to the present and recognise that the only way to get from here to there is a matter of taking action TODAY.
BONUS TIP!
If you are stuck on your current book and finding it hard to be productive, then you can use the ‘why’ question to reignite your passion for your story.
Get out your journal and freewrite your feelings on your WIP. Think about what excited you about the idea in the first place, list the fun things in the book or scenes you are looking forward to writing.
Write down WHY you want to write this particular story. Is it a topic which really interests you? Is the theme close to your heart?
Or, is your ‘why’ to do with your ideal reader and the experience you want to provide? Do you want to write something super-fun that will be a bright spot for your reader, cheering them up after a bad day? Or do you want to leave them curled in a foetal position, sobbing?
Again, allow yourself to picture having finished the story you want to write. Imagine the best possible result (why not, after all?) and write it down. If you are anything like me, you will resist this. It will feel like hubris. You will think ‘oh, but that will never happen’ and ‘I bet I will make a mess of this great book idea’. But, remember, this is completely private. And it is just day dreaming. Allow yourself a lovely, positive fantasy in which you have finished a book which you are really pleased with and which sells really well and brings you international acclaim etc etc…
And now get back to work!
For more productivity tips, inspiration and writerly support, why not check out my book?
Stop Worrying; Start Writing: How To Overcome Fear, Self-Doubt and Procrastination
Now available in audio! Free with a one-month Audible trial.
[Image Credit (desk): Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash. Image Credit (love): Photo by John Jennings on Unsplash]