As with any work – even something as fun as writing – getting into the groove can take time and discipline.I’m just going to cover a couple of ways I try and get into my zone.
1. The work space is everything
Like Homer Simpson and the butt-groove on his couch, having a workspace I can leave “messy” helps me sink into the zone whenever I get behind the laptop. Disturb the space, change the environment, and it’ll take that much longer to adjust to that familiar posture of tap-tapping away.
2. Get the procrastination out of the system
Half the reason I started this blog was to give me an outlet to write about something related to the project, so I could slip into writer’s mode and channel my energy into the actual book by the time I was done with the post. It enabled me to procrastinate healthily, if you will.
3. Give yourself 10 minutes
Also attended one of those I-am-woman-hear-me-roar seminars for corporate women, and learnt that it takes 10 minutes of sticking to a particular task to overcome inertia. 10 minutes. That’s it. Once you’ve started on a job for 10 minutes, you’re well on your way to completing it because it gets easier and the mind has begun to focus. And 10 minutes sounds like a reasonable bargain with the brain – especially for jobs that are quite icky.
So that’s my 2-cents’ worth. Now I have to move on to point 3 for one of my subplots, so I’d better get a move on because I’m buzzed…
