There’s a popular saying. Have you heard it? It goes, “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.” Basically, it means don’t give up. Anytime you fall, get back up.
Falling, after all, is par for the course. Experts who study how people change have discovered that relapse is to be expected. This is good news; you can feel free to skip all the self loathing.
But when it comes to writing (and many other creative endeavors, I’m sure), things are a little different. Standing up isn’t the solution; it’s one of the problems. So is lying down, by the way.
Some days it’s just damned hard to keep your keester where it needs to be. Instead, you find yourself shaking it all about as you do the most amazing things like color coding your spice rack and polishing the linoleum. Or you just can’t seem to pull yourself away from your fascinating work in negative-thought experiments, made especially intriguing by the fact that you’re conducting them with a blanket pulled over your head.
But sit you must if you ever hope to finish your masterpiece, the one that’s really on your mind despite the resistance of your hind quarters to desk chairs.
Standing is to writing what falling is to running. At least it’s less painful, and unlike falling, it’s something you have to do now and then. I’m not suggesting a sedentary lifestyle, after all.
So go ahead, stand up. Then sit back down. If you stand up seven times, sit down eight. If you stand up eleven times, sit down a dozen. Sit down a hundred times if that’s what it takes.
Sit down for two minutes, then try five.
Leave your notebook or your document open. Have your pen ready or your computer fired up and your keyboard warm.
If you can, carry your work with you and sit down wherever you like. Then write. Write for an hour. Write for a minute. Just write.
Sit and write. Stand up. Sit back down. Write some more.
Stand up. Lie down. Stand up. Sit down and write.
Until it’s finished.
Then do it all over again.
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To-do lists the night before with external accountability rewards and non-rewards help with establishing the habits you want in order to reach your goals.
Peace.
Yup, yup, yup. Getting too close to real deadlines is also a great motivator. Thanks! Jane
This really resonates – on days when my writing isn’t coming naturally, it might be slow writing, but I sit all day – in spite of the temptation to go and lie down!
I’ve learned that writing doesn’t happen very well horizontally!
Cath
Ken, I’m just loving this post this morning…I didn’t realize that there were others working in that fascinating field of ‘negative thought experiments’ — while that isn’t my area of expertise, it does steal some of my attention. Thanks for the reminder that, while interesting, those studies aren’t nearly as productive as sitting down for the twelfth time.
Just continuing to enjoy your humour and focus– such a great combination. cvh