You know they say writer’s block is a gigantic problem for a lot of people. I don’t know that I believe that because, one, there aren’t a whole lot of writers. And two, it only stops amateurs.
Bust those pesky roadblocks.
Because professionals know you have to power through it. If you can tie the output of your efforts to a tangible thing that directly impacts your life, like a paycheck, it can be a whole lot easier to get stuff done.
Hobbyists and bloggers mostly write for fun. Professional authors write for many different reasons, most of which are tied to success and getting a message out there. Which one has a greater drive? You can get your goals going again if you make great use of these four block-breakers to get your goals un-stuck.
#1: Create Deadlines To Create A Sense Of Urgency
When you attach a date or some type of goal-marker to the things you want to achieve, you automatically have a self-regulating principle that you need to check with. This helps kill that wishy-washy, “Oh, when do I need to get stuff done?” thought, and turns it into a, “I must do this by a certain time, or event.”
Put self-imposing limits or goalposts in your path so that you know what to achieve and you know what timeframe you have to do it. If you don’t, then how would you know how to plan things and when you need help? You’ve got to have a greater understanding of time and how it’s involved in anything you want done.
#2: Reward Yourself For The Completion Of Your Goals
No one can sit there and keep checking off items from their to-do list unless they get some type of personal satisfaction from it. The greatest martyr in the world is always doing what they do for the love of God.
That in itself becomes their reward — knowing that they’re serving a greater purpose. You and I probably have much smaller goals and have to tie our rewards to something more tangible.
Continually outputting without any type of good feedback to ourselves is like throwing money down a well, in effect. Now we know it may impact the rest of the world in a positive way, but unless we somehow give ourselves some positive feedback for what we do, it can feel pretty empty.
#3: Break Your Goals Into Smaller Components
I want you to go right now and get a piece of paper and write down one way that you can help change the educational system. That’s kind of tough, isn’t it? Okay, how about this. Write down 5 steps to get your local elementary school to use updated textbooks.
Seems a little bit simpler, right? Or at least a little bit more straightforward. You’ve localized the problem; you’ve put a limit on the #of ideas you need to come up with, and you’ve focused it towards a tool that’s relevant to the problem.
This level of detail and planning helps focus all of your infinite creative juices into a path of actualization. Do this for your big, hairy, audacious goals and you can break it down into 15 or 20 little-bitty goals that you can do one day at a time.
#4: Create Faux-Penalties If You Don’t Accomplish A Goal
I don’t want anyone to go flogging themselves or beating themselves up for not getting goals done. That’s why I’ve introduced to you the faux-penalty. This is the old, “Hey, if I swear, I put a quarter in the jar” type of thing. You’re building up a habit that helps you notice when you’re not doing what you want to do.
By noticing that and replacing that action with a reminder of what you actually want to do, you help build a new habit. This new habit is going to be aligned with what you actually want to get done. Introduce the faux-penalty into your overall goal process and you’ll be surprised at just how quickly you can bust those old bad habits.
Unstick Those Goals And Get Going Soon
Take heed and great commitment to the block-breakers we just went through and your goals will be blasted away with great proficiency. Create deadlines to give yourself that sense of urgency. Reward yourself for the accomplishments you do.
Break your goals into smaller chunks, and think about how faux-penalties can get your habits right. Go forth into this world and become the Goal Champion you were meant to be! And good luck out there, folks.