Getting Yourself To Work On Your (Dream) Project

But being a couch potato is sooooo tempting!
Image by Alexas Fotos

I have a confession to make: I am the queen of Procrastination, the Duchess of Laziness. I once told to my dad (must've been around 7 or 8) that "going to Harvard is good for the brain, but working is so hard!" (And before you ask, nope, did not go to Harvard...though I did work my butt off in college :) ).

Add to that the fact that (1) I've had some pretty bad illnesses which have forced me to be careful (no burning the midnight oil all the time) and slow down (sometimes stopping all activity for weeks at a time), and (2) work at the day job...makes it really easy for me to make up excuses not to get any writing done, if I don't want to.

Worse, I oftentimes end up not enjoying this unplanned time off away from my writing projects. I go to bed feeling restless, like I don't deserve to set my head on the pillow. This means this R&R time, which is supposed to be enjoyable, further drains me of energy (unlike planned time off, where I give myself the freedom to enjoy not doing anything, and therefore relieves me from the stress of guilt). A drain that further entrenches me into my inaction (hello couch potato!).

Here's the interesting point I have noted, however: If I get myself to get off my couch/bed/other to actually do something a little more active (work on my stories, do some art, go for a long walk 'cause, you know, being a couch potato doesn't help shed those extra lbs), I find myself recharged.

Image by GraphicMama-team

And lo and behold, I'm suddenly motivated to get some work done again!

With this observation, I know I need to fight down my natural proclivity to procrastinate, and be disciplined on my working on my storytelling. Every. Day. As they say, a rolling stone gathers no moss, and it's oh-so-very true. The law of inertia exerts extra pressure on me when I've reverted to my couch potato mode.

So yeah, discipline.

Here's what author and entrepreneur Kristine Kathryn Rusch says on the subject:

Gaining discipline is a series of mind games. Your mind will find good and effective ways to stop you. You have to figure out ways around them. (...) Discipline is not about forcing yourself to improve. It's about wanting to get better.

One way she and I both find helps in being disciplined with our pursuit, is to make sure we don't start on something that we know is going to distract us (reading, watching TV, playing video games) before we've done what needs doing first (like writing).

The key, like the frog-eating guy has stated, is to handle what needs to be handled first (and it's usually our "ugliest frogs" aka the Most-Import things the gods of procrastination often tell us to do last...such as working on my stories, in my case). And if we do that, repeatedly, we'll find success at last, and feel much better about ourselves.

Picture by OpenClipart-Vectors

In fact, according to Eat That Frog!:

The ability to concentrate single-mindedly on your most important task, to do it well and to finish it completely, is the key to great success, achievement, respect, status, and happiness in life.

So, what important project do you need/want to accomplish? One that will, despite the hard work, make your soul soar and make you proud of yourself?

Now make sure you work on that project first thing in the morning, before Life gets in your way.

For instance, I wake up extra early to get some writing done before going to the day job. Or, if that isn't possible, work on that project before you start other activities when you finish work. Perhaps stop by another place before you head home (that's what I need to do, when not in confinement, because if I sit in my couch, I know it'll be Game Over for me), or even stay in your parked car an extra 5-10 minutes to work on your project before you get inside your home.

Image by Alexas Fotos

Have fun creating! :)

PS: A small tip--if a task seems overwhelming, breaking it into smaller, bite-sized tasks helps. (1) You're less likely to freak out and have a sort of fear-paralysis. (2) When you finish it, you'll release some dopamine in your brain (rewarding hormone), feel good about yourself, and more often than not, get the boost to move on to the next task. And before you know it, you'll have accomplished a lot more than you thought!

PS2: Kristine Kathryn Rusch has extra notes on how her brain tries to trick her into getting her away from her core business of writing, particularly when the work is getting tough (which it inevitably does at some point or another). Highly recommend you read it here.

The Five Qualities To Being A Great Salesman Like Walt Disney

In case some of you hadn't noticed, I'm quite a fan of Disney--whether the enterprise (though I may not always like everything they produced), and Mr. Walt Disney himself (or at least what I've heard of him).


So I decided to find out more about the man behind the mouse and started reading How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life. I've so far really enjoyed reading about Mr. Disney in this book and learned about the man and how he made his dreams come true despite failure and opposition.

One of the tips to his success, therefore, was his amazing ability to sell anyone on one of his big ideas, no matter how crazy it may have sounded, and I thought I'd share the five keys to being a great salesman with you which are explained in (much) greater detail in the book:

1. Honesty - A great salesman lives on repeat business, and that implies trust. If a customer doesn't trust you, s/he will never do business with you again (and probably have others avoid you via word-of-mouth). [Walt] didn't use glib talk or flashy sales methods. He simply sold his ideas with honesty and sincerity.
2. Enthusiasm - Enthusiasm is contagious. That is how Walt managed to get Atlantic Richfield Company (later to be known as Arco) to sponsor his Autopia attraction in Tomorrowland for $250,000 or $25,000 for ten years, with the first check written to him on that day. The moment Walt left with everything he'd asked for, one of the execs at the company asked the others what they had just bought!
3. Confidence - Be confident in your idea or project, no matter how bad things may seem. Lillian Disney [his wife] once said, "Walt never thought he was beaten at anything--ever." No matter how bad things seemed, Walt believed in himself, his product, his future. Not only that, but he also gave confidence to those people who partnered with them, making them believe they could achieve the impossible as well, and thereby motivating them to push themselves just as hard and achieve greater heights of accomplishment. Confidence is not a feeling, it's an attitude choice. Even if you don't feel confidence, you can still adopt an attitude of confidence. Even if you're uncomfortable. In fact, you should step outside your comfort zone to make things happen.
4. Courage - Don't fear rejection. Psychological studies show that high-achieving, successful people are not overly concerned about what others think. This was true of Walt Disney. He never catered to his critics. He never worried about rejection. He kept selling his dreams. He focused on his projects and ideas instead of on himself, he didn't have the luxury to think of himself! 
5. Persistence - Nothing that is worthwhile is easy. Even Walt had plenty of downs (especially at the begin of his career where he saw one of his companies go bankrupt, his cash run dry, his team leave him and his characters get stolen from him!), yet he never gave up! And that is why the Disney empire is still among us to this day.

I hope you found these points as interesting as I did and, most importantly, inspiring! So go out there, dare to dream big and fight for your dreams to come true!

Walt Disney worked hard and sold his ideas from the earliest

days of his career. He had no MBA, not even a college degree. But 

Walt had the right idea and the right spirit, and he was willing 

to go out and sell his ideas. He was a world-class salesman.

~Peter Clark, retired Disney Executive

How To Create A Successful Business According To Walt Disney

"I knew if this business was ever to get anywhere, if this business was to ever grow, it could never do it by having to answer to someone unsympathetic to its possibilities, by having to answer to someone with only one thought or interest, namely profits.

For my idea of how to make profits has differed greatly from those who generally control businesses such as ours. I have blind faith in the policy that quality, tempered with good judgment and showmanship, will win against all odds."

~Walt Disney

Incidentally, I believe that the slump Disney felt after its "Second Golden Age" (the era starting from The Little Mermaid though The Lion King) may be linked to a loss of this particular vision, and trying to go for speed and the search for ever greater returns over the one for greater storytelling and art (which also led to many disgruntled artists). 

I believe that since around the time of Tangled, Disney has been trying to get back to its previous standards

by focusing on the story as opposed to immediate profits, and its bottom line has subsequently increased (with their latest, Frozen, having been an amazing hit with over $300 million grossed, beating the record that had been held by The Lion King 20 years ago!).