If you need to work on a large piece such as an essay, report, novel, or long blog post, sometimes it can be tough to summon the motivation to get going, or even to start back up after a piece has sat for a while.
So here’s a cool little psychological hack: Just open the document.
That's it!
It's super easy, almost effortless! Find your favorite document writing program and open it up. This takes mere seconds.
Now you're going to tell yourself, “Since the document is open, I will write one sentence.”
One sentence. It’s like one push-up: so easy you’d feel pathetic if you wimped out.
Next tell yourself, “I will write just one more sentence."
Then, "I'll just go ahead and finish this one paragraph.”
… and so on.
After several minutes your initial and natural reluctance to get started will have vanished, and you’ll be writing! Chances are you’ll get a heck of a lot more done than if you told yourself at the beginning, “I will write for one hour.”
And if you happen to give in after the one paragraph? Baby you still did fantastically! Because, after all, you had only initially committed to opening a document.
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Awesome! Thanks!
I laughed out loud, but this is an excellent piece of advice.
Glad it brought you joy 😊
I find if it's hard to get that first sentence written, I'll just start making notes of things I know I want to include in the piece, ideas and phrases, etc., just listening to myself talk to myself in my mind -- and taking dictation. Before long, I'll barely be able to keep up ... or write fast enough. Best of all, the piece will practically write itself.
If it's a really long piece ... or if I'm still having trouble with it, I'll put it away for a couple of days ... and get back to it by saying, "I'll just edit what I've written so far and make some more notes." Having something to work with is always better than nothing!! (By a long shot.) Again, the mind usually starts humming -- and I just follow along ... writing. Works like a champ -- at least for me.
Miss you, BTW. <3
I love when you can't write fast enough to keep up with the diction in your head :) (it means the creative elves are doing their jobs, lol)
I miss you too dearheart 😊
It seems that mental physics is no different than physical physics in that it takes more energy to get movement started than to keep it in motion. What makes this trick work so well is that once you actually start, it takes very little effort to keep going!
This is one of my constant battles: I find it extremely difficult to start something and then once I'm in the groove, I can't easily stop until the job is done. I've missed all sorts of meals and other stuff because I can't stop before a project is completed because I know how much effort it takes for me to re-start on it.
I'm the same way! Meals are the easiest to miss, probably because they take so long andcan be skipped, lol!
Sometimes I Just Don't Want to Play SteemMonsters and Then I Open Up the Game and I am There Again for a long time....... I am @stokjockey and I am an Addict..............LOL
Gett'em Kitten !
Lol! Yeah, certain games can suck you right it, and then, before you know it, where have the last three hours gone?!!
This is a theme I am starting to see popping up in my life all around, so it must be a tip I am meant to start incorporating! Not just in writing, but in a few other projects I want to accomplish. It's a great motivator for fitness, too. I often tell people if you just get your sneakers on you'll be much more likely to get some activity in. And then if you say I'll just walk or run for 5 minutes, then you'll most likely end up going longer. Thanks for the motivation to "just open up" my project of the day! :)
How very cool! Yes, I believe when things keep slapping you in the metaphorical face they are meant to be!
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This is great 😋 its like taking the first 250 steps of a 10,000 step journey and next thing you know you're already there. Couldn't help but see in my minds eye a correlation to Actifitting while reading (I'm weird like that) lol Thank you muchly for such awesomeness advice 😀💖🙏 I will be putting this to use soon 💯
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The correlation to Actfit is perfect! You can use this hack for virtually anything :)
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Yes! For me I do it in five minute blasts (because I am used to doing the five municipality freewrite). Just keep going
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Right! That's a great system, and it all adds up!
Thanks for that very simple tip! You are absolutely write - even the longest journey begins with the first step. And finding ways to congratulation yourself, for instance - yea! I wrote a paragraph - is much more motivating than berating yourself - i.e. I was supposed to write for an hour and I only made it for 20 minutes!
Absolutely! Focusing on your achievements rather than failures is a much better practice- for both your mental and physical well being!
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Writing long pieces is definitely tough for flash fiction writers.
Yes, but perhaps try @felt.buzz 's system in the comments here!
Excellent tip and it applies to all things, first mark on a bit of paper when drawing, the first blob of clay for a sculpture :) that mentality associated with starting something and continuing is super powerful.
You are so tight in that it applies to all things in your life!
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Thank you for the advice. Absolutely useful
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I'm happy you enjoyed it!
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I'm happy you find it useful!
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Cheers
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I really appreciate the tips that you gave in this article. I know whatever you said will help me in the future when I need to write. Thank you so much!
Have a great day!
That's awesome! I'm so happy they're helpful :)
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Yes, this principle works)) I often use it myself.
It's a great one, isn't it :)
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