Change is happening in the Washington DC area, not just in Congress, but here in my backyard. Spring is here. Tulips are pushing their way above ground. The trees are dropping all sorts of little colored pellets on my deck and front walk.
The first days of Spring are a great time to assess your writing habits and consider how they are working for you or against you. It’s an opportune time for you to consider where change in your writing process might help you.
Time to clean house.
You’ve probably been down this road before, deciding to make a change but not putting any muscle into that decision. However, there are positive strategies that can achieve lasting results.
Most of these involve capitalizing on the power of habit.
In December 2008, I wrote a post in this space called “Make Getting Started on Your Writing Easier: Top 5 Reasons to Develop a No-Kidding, No-Fooling Daily Writing Habit.”
If you were fighting the dissertation battle then, 15 months ago, you may have read my “top 5 reasons for developing a solid, robust, no-kidding daily writing habit.” And perhaps you would have made changes at that time. Then these last 15 months might have been different. Maybe you wouldn’t have continued to sabotage yourself and expend energy resisting writing rather than putting your energy into writing.
What if you stopped making excuses now? How about committing to writing every day, even if only fifteen minutes a day? Before you back away and begin again with the excuses, consider how writing every day, preferably at a scheduled time and maybe first thing in your day, would increase your productivity and, most importantly, would have you writing.
Where do you need to exert control and spend your energy? What can you do to help yourself be mentally tough? I’d love to hear from you.
Enjoy the season. How about a change?
Best to you,
Nancy
Nancy Whichard, Ph.D., PCC
Your International Dissertation Coach and Academic Career Coach
www.nancywhichard.com
www.dissertationbootcamp.net
www.usingyourstrengths.com
