075: Stop Dreaming, Start Doing - Why I Stopped Making New Year's Resolutions, and What To Do Instead
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Hey hey!\\xa0Thanks for joining me for our very last episode in 2015.
Today\\xa0I\'m talking about why\\xa0I stopped making New Year\\u2019s resolutions and what I do instead. It\\u2019s been an amazing year here at DIY MFA. I\\u2019ve interviewed some awesome people this year and have gotten to share some major milestones with you, not the least of which is the DIY MFA book!
OMG, word nerds, I wrote the book this year! How crazy-pants is that?
But now down to business. Let\\u2019s talk about goal setting and why I don\\u2019t make New Year\\u2019s resolutions anymore.\\xa0Get all the deets by listening to this episode.
OK, before I dive in, let me give you some backstory.\\xa0Once upon a time I loved brainstorming. I would get a huge high from dreaming up\\xa0new ideas. I had tons of projects I\\u2019d started and never finished. But over the years I\\u2019ve started to shift away from being a dreamer to being a doer.\\xa0To get a full picture of then vs. now, check out this chart.\\xa0
I wish I could say there was a pivotal moment where I realized everything was different. But this shift was gradual. I don\\u2019t think I\\u2019m finished yet, either.\\xa0This is just the beginning of a much longer journey.\\xa0What I\'ve\\xa0discovered,\\xa0though, is that New Year\\u2019s resolutions don\\u2019t work for me. Here\'s what does work...
Caveat:\\xa0There are lots of gurus and experts on the internet spouting "best practices" and magic-bullet solutions.\\xa0But you\'re a word nerd, so I\'m guessing you see through all that\\xa0B.S. At DIY MFA we believe that the only "best practice" is the one that actually works for you.\\xa0So I\'ll share some strategies that\\xa0have worked for me, but\\xa0it\\u2019s up to you to test them for yourself and decide if they work for you. And don\'t be shy about tweaking and adapting techniques to your own unique style. That\'s the DIY MFA way.
Cool? Cool.
My New Approach to Resolutions and Goal-Setting
In my new approach, the huge leap no longer matters. There\\u2019s no more \\u201cI\\u2019m going to write a book next year,\\u201d or \\u201cI\\u2019m going to lose x pounds.\\u201d Instead of making sweeping goals that seem enormous and unreachable, I now set goals to take small incremental steps and repeating that action over and over and over. Where before the giant goal was the focus, now the repeated action takes center stage.
I\\u2019ve noticed after working with hundreds of writers,\\xa0when you stop\\xa0focusing on the end goal and start emphasizing\\xa0the repeated action, that\\u2019s when you\\xa0make a breakthrough. Letting go of that end goal gives you the space and focus to do the work and actually reach that goal. As a writer, I\\xa0find that irony kind of delicious.
These days, I\'ve stopped looking at writing as a short-term push and instead see it as a war of attrition. The truth is that the writers who want overnight success are not the ones who will stick with the process long enough to see it through. \\xa0The writers who have the tenacity to stick with it the writing\\xa0gets tough, those are the ones who succeed. You just have to survive long enough so you\'re the only one left standing on the battlefield.
Writing and creativity might be a battle, but remember that we aren\'t fighting each other; we\\u2019re all on the same side. In the end, the only person we\'re fighting against is ourselves. Our obstacles are internal\\xa0and the battle is about trying to get out of our own way.
So how do I do it?
7 Simple Steps:
After working at this for a few years now, I have come up with a process for getting through my ideas and my goals as efficiently as possible. Again, this is just my own crazy process.\\xa0Take in the ideas, test them out, then use\\xa0what works for you and discard the rest.
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- Figure out your big picture.
Lots of people get stuck focusing all their energy on this step alone. While I concede it\\u2019s important to know where you\\u2019re headed, I only spend, like, 10 seconds here, then I move on to step 2.\\xa0 - Take stock of recent progress.
If you want to feel successful, you can\\u2019t compare yourself to the big vision, to where you want to be. You have to compare yourself to where you\\u2019ve been. That way you always come out ahead. Not only does it help motivate you to move forward, it helps you build mastery. In order to succeed, you need to feel that mastery of your craft. Use concrete data here, too. Don\\u2019t BS yourself over your accomplishments. How many words did you write last year? How many guest posts/blog posts/freelance articles? That\\u2019s the number to beat.\\xa0 - Iterate, iterate, iterate.
I talked about iteration last year at this time, so I won\\u2019t spend a lot of time here. Just remember that iteration is vital and basically boils down to these five things:
V\\xa0= variables. \\xa0What will you measure to see your progress?
I\\xa0= information.\\xa0 Collect your data. Track how much you\\u2019ve done each session.
T\\xa0= tripwire.\\xa0 This is the signal for you to stop and take stock.
A\\xa0= analysis.\\xa0 Look at the data you\\u2019ve collected and find the overall pattern.
L\\xa0= learning.\\xa0 Take that information, figure out what it means, and then try something new.\\xa0If something is not working for you, don\\u2019t keep repeating it because someone told you it was a \\u201cbest practice.\\u201d Instead, make a small shift and try something a little different to see what works best for you.\\xa0The key here is to (a) understand your baseline, how you operate in your natural state, and (b) shape your process within those constraints.
- Set\\xa0your sights on a short-term target.
What can you do in a 4 to 8 week period?\\xa0Your "big vision" inspires this target goal, but it must be shorter term and more contained. Seriously, if you can\'t hit that target within 3 months (tops!) it\'s too big.
- Reverse engineer your action steps.
The inspiration for this step came from\\xa0Wishcraft: How to Get What You Really Want\\xa0by Barbara Sher. Her process revolutionized the way I look at setting my goals. You need a plan to get from point A to point B, so take some time and work backwards from that goal.Don\'t start at the start, but with the goal, then figure out what\\xa0you need to do just before you just before that. Keep working your way backwards until you\'ve figured out your immediate next step.\\xa0Remember to break your steps down to the smallest increments.
- Set your ground rules for success.
This is another place you\\u2019ll find \\u201cbest practices\\u201d galore, but you need to figure out what works for you.F ind ways to make the most out of your writing time. Remember, your time is precious! Here are some things that work for me:- I focus on one thing at a time.
- I set a time limit so I know when I can stop and move on to something new.
- I make everything else off limits until I reach my goal.
- I bribe myself with a reward for success.
- Keep future projects on the radar without letting them get in your way.
You want to know what\\u2019s coming next, but sometimes holding brain space to remember it can sap your mental energy. So make a space to write down your ideas and next projects and keep them for later. This will free up the brain space you need for what you\\u2019re working on right now. And sometimes getting ideas out on paper will help you to recognize what is worth pursuing and what will ultimately be unproductive.
Remember, where you want to be down the road is not nearly as important as the path you take to get there.\\xa0These steps focus on the day to day process. Getting your head around what you need to do today is vital to helping you move toward your goal without being weighed down by it.
As you look forward to 2016, I want to challenge you to stop dreaming and start doing. Don\'t worry so much about the big vision, but focus on one incremental action that you can repeat again and again until you reach your goal.
No more dreaming. This year I am DOING this: [insert goal here] http://ctt.ec/51x8H+ #DIYMFA\\xa0
If you enjoyed this episode, I have included some links below to previous episodes that can help you with building your best practices. And if you want to dig deeper, join me for a "Stop Dreaming, Start Doing"\\xa0workshop\\xa0on January 12 at 8pm ET. You can find more information at DIYMFA.com/openhouse.
Resources
It\'s been a great year for\\xa0DIY MFA Radio and we\'ve had some great episodes. If you want to check out some past episodes but don\'t know where to start, don\'t worry. Here are a few best-of-2015 solo shows\\xa0that will help you get that book from dream to done.
- Episode 23:\\xa0Make Writing Resolutions that Stick
- Episode 24: My Go-To Productivity Tool
- Episode 26: Write Your Book This Year
- Episode 31: Finding Your Focus in Writing
- Episode 47: Honor Your Reality
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For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/075
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