procrastination

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The Procrastinator’s Guide to Writing Your Book

You want to write a book.

It’s been on your heart for a while.

And yet, when you sit down to write you feel the sudden need to:

  • Scrub a toilet.
  • Purge the pantry.
  • Call your third cousin, twice removed and see how her ex-mother-in-law’s toe surgery went.

You want to do ANYTHING but write your book!

  • It’s not about willpower.
  • It’s not about reward and punishment.
  • It’s not about procrastination.

It’s 100% about starting in the wrong place!

Because if your “To Do” list says:

Write Book

I can GUARANTEE you’ll struggle.

That to do list item just isn’t clear enough to get you into motion – and keep you there.

And it’s exactly why I have packed “Step 5: WRITING Your Book” in my proven course, “Finally Write Your Book” FILLED with all the ways that you can get OFF the procrastination train, create a consistent (and painless) writing habit, and ACTUALLY GET YOUR BOOK WRITTEN.

Lessons include:

  • The “Done” Line
  • Kim’s 10-Word Writing Mantra
  • Honoring Your Preferences
  • Writing Time vs Thinking Time
  • The Power of Mini-Goals
  • Fitting In Your Writing Time
  • Overcoming Procrastination
  • What to Do If You’re Stuck
  • And so much more! (24 lessons in total!)

 

Doors open soon for Finally Write Your Book. Inside the course, you’ll get:

  • Kim’s full “Story Path” System ($5000 value) this is the exact same PROVEN system that has helped authors JUST LIKE YOU write their books
  • Students-Only Facebook Community ($3750 value) where you can find your accountability buddy, access the group Q&A call, and have ongoing support
  • Monthly Group Q&A Call ($2000 value) so you have MY brain on your book — and hear from your fellow message-driven authors.
  • How to Take Author Headshots ($400 value) so that your readers can instantly connect with you.
  • About the Author Action Sheet ($500 value) so you can easily write your author bio for the book, your marketing, and speaking gigs!
  • Software Recommendations ($1000 value) so you know exactly what you need to write your book and don’t waste time “shopping” for programs.
  • CTA worksheet ($500 value) — so you can have your readers take actions (buying a course or getting on your list) without having your book read like a long-form sales letter OR leaving the “work with me” to be an afterthought.
  • And more!

 

NOW actually IS a great time to write your book. You’re already busy – might as well stop waiting and start writing.

The good news is that enrollment opens soon for my proven course, “Finally Write Your Book.”

The BEST news is that everything IN the course – from your learning to your writing time – is designed to be done in about 15 minutes a day. Which is something you CAN fit into your day, even as busy as you are.

And as soon as you enroll, you have instant access to the entire course AND you’ll have lifetime access so you can do it at your own pace! No need to KEEP waiting on that “As soon as…” to happen in your life.

RIGHT NOW – get my TOP tips for getting more writing done (WITHOUT having to give up your life) in my free class, “How to Finally Write Your Book (5 Steps) in 2023 – Without Sacrificing Your Life!” Register Here.

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5 Tips to Avoid Procrastination

There’s a line between waiting for inspiration to strike and sitting down to write – with or without the ever-illusive… inspiration.

When I was in college, my mom gave me a poster that said,

If your ship hasn’t come in, swim out to meet it.

And inspiration is a lot like that! Some days, you just won’t be feeling it. I’m sorry, it’s true. As a mom, MOST days I’m not feeling it when it comes to the Triple B’s (bath, books, bed.) I just want to skip ahead to the BED part and be done with it.

But as soon as the kids are happily splashing away – or as soon as we’re cuddled up with a book – it’s not so bad.

Here my PROVEN tips for beating procrastination in your writing!

1. Turn OFF Social Media
Do you remember life before Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and all the OTHER social distractions? I do! I remember when the Internet wasn’t always “ON” but was a privilege we bought as 100 minutes a month for $100 a month!

If you were still paying for Internet by the minute, I guarantee you’d spend a lot less time cruising Facebook!

There are a dozen apps that you can install that will lock you out of social media – if you need that. For me, just closing the Facebook tab is enough. (And I do NOT have the Facebook messenger app installed on my phone!) I’ve ALSO turned off all notifications (especially the sounds) for all my social media accounts. When you don’t have those “dings” chirping at you a million times a day, it’s easier to ignore your online social life.

If you need one more reason:

Take a look at the feed of somebody who’s life you envy. The one who looks PERFECT from the outside. The one who is always organized, lives in a neat and tidy house that is color-coordinated, and ALWAYS finishes projects. Then imagine that their life IS perfect… It’s exactly how it looks from the outside.

Wouldn’t you rather be the friend that OTHER friends are envious of – because of your PUBLISHED BOOK? Be the role model for getting.it.done so your other friends can think YOUR life is perfect. (It won’t be perfect, but having your book written and published can be the truth!)

2. Hone your Bullsh*t meter for when you’re working (or not!)
How often is your “research” just a fancy way of procrastinating? I completely understand that for most of us, especially writing non-fiction, a certain amount of research IS required.

But are you focused?
Is it necessary before you move on?

Or are you following the rabbit holes of the Internet and gobbling down click bait the way bugs eat insect poison… and then die leaving piles of little insect corpses in the corner of the room?

Because, trust me, watching a TV show is NOT research even if it IS remotely related to your topic… Here’s an advanced tip when you’re procrastinating your dreams: Imagine the actors in your FAVORITE show or movie. Imagine all they had to do to get to where they are. Send them an energetic “Thank You” for the entertainment they’ve brought you. Now imagine what YOUR life would be like if that same actor hadn’t pursued their dream… YOUR life would be the poorer for it – and by not writing, you’re making your reader’s life poorer!

Keep Reading!

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5 Tips for Beating Procrastination in Your Writing

Which is worse: staring at a blank page and not knowing what to write or staring at the ceiling above your bed realizing that a week (or a month!) has passed without working on your book?

I’ll go with staring at the ceiling any day!

NOTHING is worse than flipping to a new month in your calendar and realizing that you haven’t done A Single Thing to bring you closer to your goal of writing a book. That, month after month, will kill you and your dreams.

So, let’s for a moment assume that you really DO want to write your book and get your message out there… (Because if you just want to TALK about it forever, that’s a different problem!)

How can you overcome the natural tendency to procrastinate your writing?

Here are 5 tips to help you out!

1. Turn OFF Social Media

Do you remember life before Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter? I do! I remember when the Internet wasn’t always “ON” but was a privilege we bought as 100 minutes a month for $100 a month!

If you were still paying for Internet by the minute, I guarantee you’d spend a lot less time cruising Facebook!

Writing isn’t an exercise in self-discipline. It’s making the choice, every day, to write. Click To Tweet

There are a dozen apps that you can install that will lock you out of social media – if you need that. For me, just closing the Facebook tab is enough. (And I do NOT have the Facebook messenger app installed on my phone!) I’ve ALSO turned off all notifications (especially the sounds) for all my social media accounts. When you don’t have those “dings” chirping at you a million times a day, it’s easier to ignore your online social life.

If you need one more reason:

Take a look at the feed of somebody who’s life you envy. The one who looks PERFECT from the outside. The one who is always organized, lives in a net and tidy house that is color-coordinated, and ALWAYS finishes projects. Then imagine that their life IS perfect… It’s exactly how it looks from the outside.

Wouldn’t you rather be the friend that OTHER friends are envious of – because of your PUBLISHED BOOK? Be the role model for getting.it.done so your other friends can think YOUR life is perfect. (It won’t be perfect, but having your book written and published can be the truth!)

2. Hone your Bullsh*t meter for when you’re working (or not!)

How often is your “research” just a fancy way of procrastinating? I completely understand that for most of us, especially writing non-fiction, a certain amount of research IS required.

  • But are you focused?
  • Is it necessary before you move on?

Or are you following the rabbit holes of the Internet and gobbling down click bait the way bugs eat insect poison… and then die leaving piles of little insect corpses in the corner of the room?

Because, trust me, watching a TV show is NOT research even if it IS remotely related to your topic… Here’s an advanced tip when you’re procrastinating your dreams: Imagine the actors in your FAVORITE show or movie. Imagine all they had to do to get to where they are. Send them an energetic “Thank You” for the entertainment they’ve brought you. Now imagine what YOUR life would be like if that same actor hadn’t pursued their dream… YOUR life would be the poorer for it – and by not writing, you’re making your reader’s life poorer!

Keep Reading!