Why yes, hypothetical reader, that is a parenthetical you see there. What’s that, hypothetical reader? You get it already and we can stop talking about it every day?
Point noted. No need to get huffy, though.
So today, I built a little motivation right into the title, because I needed a little motivation. Sometimes starting is the worst part of a task (unless your task is, say, rendering aid to cantankerous scorpions, and then I’d say your task is the worst part of your task). It’s taking that first dish out of the dishwasher, it’s putting on your coat to run the errand, it’s taking that blinking cursor on a blank screen and putting some characters behind it.
There are external motivators, like caffeine (oh how I miss ye), deadlines and ogres rented by the hour to breathe heavy, dank breath at you while menacingly tapping the head of their clubs into their palms, but sometimes the impetus to act has to come from within. Especially–
What’s that you say, hypothetical reader? You think one of those things isn’t a real external motivator? Well, I answer you this: deadlines work.
Anyway, where was I? Oh yes. Especially when none of the external methods are proddy enough, and all the ogres are booked with other gigs.
Sometimes you have to just sit down (or stand up, depending on the task at hand. If it requires standing, sitting is very counter-productive) and start. Silence the internal protests about all the other things you could be doing, and accept that this particular thing is how you will be spending this particular amount of time.
Now don’t you feel proud of yourself, bordering on smug? I certainly do!
Check out my full-length novels, Her Cousin Much Removed, The Great Paradox and the Innies and Outies of Time Management and Aunty Ida’s Full-Service Mental Institution (by Invitation Only), and the sequel, Aunty Ida’s Holey Amazing Sleeping Preparation (Not Doctor Recommended) which is now available!
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