Does anyone else feel like they’ve totally been wasting this stay-at-home season?
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been struggling to be productive and creative ever since this thing began. Maybe it’s anxiety about the uncertainties of life right now. After all, outside of writing, a big part of my business is producing and consulting for live events, all of which were canceled because of COVID-19. Maybe it’s the lack of routine that normally gives me a sense of rhythm and balance. Or maybe it’s the fact that I have five kids, roaming around the house, foraging for Doritos while I’m trying to work.
OK, the truth is that this quarantine has actually been really great for our family, and considering the heartbreaking situations that so many find themselves in, I should have no complaints at all. We’ve played more games, taken more walks, and cleaned out more drawers than ever. And that’s all good. Seriously.
But as for getting any actual, honest-to-god writing done? Score me a big, fat “F” so far. Yes, I know, I know. Shakespeare composed both King Lear and Macbeth during the bubonic plague. Isaac Newton came up with a little theory we call gravity during the same quarantine. And the painter Edvard Munch was so driven to productivity that even after contracting the Spanish Flu in 1919, he somehow managed a self-portrait of himself as he recovered.
During the past month, one of my friends has raised 2 million dollars for small businesses in crisis in our hometown of Colorado Springs. Another has launched a global TV mini-series with over 25 million views. And yet another hosted an online event with some of the most influential speakers in the US and built an online group of 100K entrepreneurs in less than three weeks.
Talk about overachievers.
Meanwhile, over here at Casa Bolin, I’m finding anything at all to do besides actually work. I’ve rearranged my closet, chopped down a tree, cleaned the garage, built a LEGO set of Trafalgar Square, taken apart, and upgraded my computer (anything rather than actually use it) and of course, I’ve binged TV shows like a boss. I even started running 4 miles a day just to give me a guilt-free excuse not to sit in front of a keyboard and do my work.
It’s not that I haven’t thought about writing. I’ve read two books about that craft of writing, watched three writing Master Classes, and tuned in to half a dozen live streams for authors. I’ve made lists about what to write. I’ve even rehearsed writing in my head. But actually writing? You’re reading some of the first real creative words that have come out of me during the past month.
Why is it so hard to sit down and do the thing you know you’re supposed to do?
I think it is because there are forces out there that don’t want you to bring your idea to bear. Steven Pressfield, one of my favorite authors, calls it resistance. It’s the thing that keeps you distracted, frustrated, insecure, and immobilized from taking action. In his classic book The War of Art, Pressfield says, “resistance is evil, completely toxic and is the only reason we ever experience true unhappiness.” Some call it evil or bad karma or the devil. Whatever you call it, it’s the enemy of all the good things in you, ready to be realized.
We need to wage war on resistance.
Getting to work is hard — that’s a fact. If it wasn’t, there would be amazing new things getting created at scale all around us. But that’s not the case. That’s because sitting down and doing the work isn’t sexy or fun and doesn’t tend to deliver the same sort of instant gratification as does, say, watching an episode of The Office. But something powerful happens when a person fights through resistance and keeps their appointment with destiny and makes the time to do their work. Synapses begin to fire. Blood flows through your brain. Inspiration shows up. Ideas are born. Things get made. What happens is what Elizabeth Gilbert calls Big Magic. I want some of that.
So, what does it take? I want to suggest a few things that have helped me get out of my funk and get back to work. I thought that maybe they’d be a bit of encouragement to you, too. Maybe these ideas are only for one or two of you. That’s just fine with me.
Stop comparing yourself to everyone else
This is a big one for me. It’s way too easy for me to measure my success by comparing myself to everyone else around me. I have a problem. I’ll compare myself to my friends and I’ll compare myself to random dudes I read about in online articles. I’ll even compare myself to J.J. Abrams and Gary Vaynerchuk. Self-aware much? If you’re like me and you can’t help but play the comparison game, stop scrolling Instagram and Facebook. And grow up. Stop thinking you’re something special. Forget about those other people. You aren’t them. You’re you. The only person you should be comparing yourself to is staring back in the mirror. Seriously, get away from the mirror, too. Sheesh. After all, aren’t you supposed to be making something right now?
Quit worrying what other people think
As long as you care more about what other people think than actually doing the work, you’ll never get anything done at all. People in their twenties and thirties tend to really care what others think of them. People in their forties and fifties usually stop caring about everyone thinks. And people in their sixties and seventies realize that no one ever thought about them much, to begin with. The truth is, most of us really only think about ourselves. And when we think about others, its mostly just how others relate back to us. That’s not to say that there aren’t those of us who are truly selfless. I know a few people who really do tend to think of others first. Those people are amazing saints and deserve all the ice cream and Oreos they ever want. But as for you and me, we’ll go far if we stop thinking everyone is thinking about us. Doesn’t that feel good?
Get rid of distractions
This is too obvious, right? As long as you allow yourself to get distracted by Netflix, social media, and your smartphone, you’ll have a tough time focusing on the stuff that matters. No doubt, in tough times like the quarantine, it’s hard not to get distracted. If it’s not Tiger King, it’s wiping down groceries or re-checking the latest “sick maps” for the hundredth time today. In his book, Atomic Habits, James Clear talks about the value of making small changes. What are small things you can do to limit the distractions around you? Maybe it’s deleting certain apps from your phone or not always picking up when someone calls. Or maybe you can get rid of a distraction by replacing it with something positive. Go on a walk when you’d usually mindlessly scroll. Read a book instead of watching a show. Sit down and write instead of aimlessly wandering from room to room.
Remember fear is the real loser
There’s no doubt that we tend to be our own worst enemies. The inner critic that lies to you and tells you that you’ll never make it, or that you don’t have what it takes. Don’t believe the lies that it’s too late or you’re too uneducated or too overweight or too whatever. You’re not. You are perfectly ready and perfectly prepared to do what you need to do. Fear is a liar. The fear of failure. The fear of what others will think. The fear of not measuring up. Forget all of that. Remember, you have work to do. You were born on purpose, with a purpose. Your job is to find out what that purpose is and then to start doing the work. Just realize that as soon as you finally get off of your couch, resistance will walk in your front door. That’s just the way it works. The more important your work, the more powerful the resistance will be. Be ready for it. Look for it. Stare it down. And then go do the work. Make the thing. Be who you were born to be.
Onward!
Subscribe to get email updates from me when I’ve written something new. No-spam guarantee.