Ooops! I said I would put part Two up on Monday. I forgot, sorry. Clearly my midnight motivation tips didn’t include a to-do list (blush). To remind you, this is all about how people motivate themselves to hit a deadline. The deadline in this case was for copy submission (oh the irony!) but they work on a number of levels. Here are those helpful hints as promised, hope you find them useful and enjoyable.
Mark Field got in touch and suggested:
* break it down into small bits – set out my chapter headings / section headings – normally there is some of that which I already have floating around in my head in reasonable shape and I can commit with ease – hence giving a sense of some achievement and reducing the size of the remaining challenge
* when the words stop flowing I take some exercise – normally swimming as I find that I don’t need to think too much about the actual swimming up and down the lane and my mind can start to drift and things start to bubble up (perhaps I need to be careful here – I seem to remember your wife is a very accomplished swimmer) (again, I am not the first to say this – no different I suspect to taking the dog for a walk, going for a run or walking a mountain)
* once started keep working even if it is odd hours to avoid being interrupted or side tracked – for me both late at night and then keep going until I run out of things to write or starting immediately I wake up and again keep going until I run out of things to say work – don’t break for meals and stop the flow (but I do have quality coffee – I’m a caffeine addict)
* finally, when stuck call someone and talk to them about it – someone who knows nothing about the issue and hence is not fettered by any preconceived notions
And here are a few ideas from my friend Chris Plush:
1. Go for a run (yes, I have run around New York at 4.30am)
2. Music. I have playlists for everything.
3. Visualisation. I am a huge fan of this and it has served me well when I feel like chucking it all in. What does success look like and what will it feel like – the mind is a powerful thing and the body will reward positive thinking!!
4. Small steps Mr Shaw. If it’s all getting a bit overwhelming, break it down into small bits – give yourself small, achievable goals; write them down, tick them off (and reward yourself with chocolate!!)
5. Call on others. Anyone who gives a damn about you will take your calls and listen to your rantings and wailings and then put you back together again. You’d do it for them, they’ll do it for you.
