Design small solutions

October 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I’ve learned to closely examine my tripping points to look for solutions.

By tripping points I mean the places in my routine where I fail to see something through to completion, whether it’s a household task, a writing project, or a personal phone call I’m just not making.

Tripping points can occur at any point in the continuum of a project or task, from start to finish.

Tripping points lead to incompletion

As I’ve studied my own process and observed my clients as well, what I’ve found is that we collectively have a tendency to either skip over key steps or fail to think through the full process.

Both of these have the same result: incompletion.

Find a higher thought

I think the inception of this exploration began back in my 20s when I was working with a therapist and I used to write my checks to her at the end of the session. There was always an awkward moment, waiting for me to do so. One day she said to me, “Other clients write out checks in advance.”

It was a new thought, something I hadn’t considered. I even realized that I was drawing out the time with her by waiting to write the checks at the end. I vowed to change my pattern right away. From that day forward, I always arrived with check in hand and had the matter settled from the start.

The tiniest things make a big difference

When it comes to getting things done, I’ve learned that the tiniest things make a big difference many times over. With my writing, for example, if the computer is right next to me when I wake up, I’m much more likely to work on my script right away — particularly if I’ve closed my email program before lights out the night before.

Mind you, I’m not always perfect about everything (thank goodness, or my inner rebel would freak out) but it’s highly useful to know the tricks that will get me into action. That said, I still have some lingering items (that darn video!) that need work.

The 2 second rule

I read recently (I wish I could remember where, if you know please tell me) about a guy who wanted to read more but was always turning on the television instead of picking up a book. His solution was to take the batteries out of his television remote control, making it just that much harder (2 seconds harder) to turn on the TV — and he found himself reading a lot more.

I’ve seen writers in my Writer’s Circle do similar things — making sure their writing materials are at the ready so that when they wake up, it’s easy to get started.

I’ve heard about a virtual assistant who keeps post-it notes on her fridge to track her hours and to do items so it’s extra easy to jot it down rather than having to dig out her work notebook.

I keep magnetic note pads on my refrigerator and have a system for keeping my pantry filled: If something gets taken out of the pantry, it goes on the list. We always have an extra bottle of ketchup that way. (Good thing with little kids around, and in earthquake country to boot.)

Your turn

How could you apply this idea to make getting something done easier? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Warmly,

Jenna

 

Coming Attractions

 

~> October 4th. My next Life Purpose Breakthrough Group. SOLD OUT. http://LifePurposeBreakthrough.com

~> October 25th. Register by October 25th for the next 4-week session of my “Just Do The Writing” Accountability Circle (starts October 29th). Looking to feel passionate again about your writing? You must write to get there: http://JustDoTheWriting.com

 

What I'm Up To

~> Ongoing. Working on rewriting my script, Progeny, with my mentor Chris Soth after finishing the ProSeries.*

~> Sacred writing time. My schedule is in flux right now but I’m writing regularly nonetheless.

~> Reading: Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows with my son — so close to finishing now! I think we’re going to read Eragon next. Or maybe Narnia, or The Belgariad. I can’t wait. I’m deeply enthralled by Homeland, finally saw the finale of Weeds (weird), and I’m so happy Castle is back on the air. *Grin*

 

* Affiliate link

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Creativity, Productivity Tagged With: , , ,

Finding The Way Through Perfectionism — A Success Story

November 23, 2011 by 2 Comments

One of “my” writers in the Just Do the Writing Accountability Circle, Molly Yarrington, has taken on a brave and courageous challenge to raise $300 for charity by writing 30 poems in 30 days in the month of November.

Molly is a sensitive soul, a dreamer, a writer, a crew coach, and a poet with a passionate spirit — and like many of us (including me), one with a strong perfectionist streak.

Molly is courageously using this challenge and the support of the Writer’s Circle to push herself to publish a daily poem on her blog to overcome her fears around sharing her work with others and to tame her perfectionism.

“I have been a hermit poet most of my life.”

Molly says, “I have been a hermit poet most of my life, hiding my poems away and only sharing them with a select few best friends. When I took on this challenge, I made a commitment to write and make my writing public, daily.

“All the poems are fresh, ‘first draft‘ format. It is a rare poem I write in one sitting, so this has been a double challenge for me to share not only my poems, but poems I consider to be ‘works in progress.'”

From the inside of the Writer’s Circle (I’m writing this with her permission), I’ve watched Molly persevere through an incredibly busy time in her life to write a poem each and every day, sometimes posting with only minutes to spare, while we cheer her on.

It’s been inspiring to see Molly struggle with the feelings that come up around sharing such raw, deeply personal writing in such a public way, and do it anyway.

You see, when it comes to writing — or creating anything for that matter — we have to be willing to give ourselves permission to do it no matter what, and even to start.

And one of our biggest obstacles to starting is perfectionism, which is really fear in disguise.

Molly says it beautifully:

“Along with, and much more importantly than helping me develop a daily habit of writing, the Writer’s Circle has brought me an awareness of the real issues that have held me back, and believe me, they are NOT lack of time (though I did believe that was the primary issue when I began).

“Through my interaction with this amazing group, I have been able to see that what holds me back is nothing special — I share the same fears and concerns as everyone out there — and somehow, knowing I am not alone in this creative process, makes all the difference.”

The trick is to find ways to bypass that urge to perfect before we create something, and take the risk to get it out there.

Let Molly be your inspiration.

Find Out More About Molly’s Project

Read Molly’s poems here.

If you’d like to, you can support Molly’s pledge for the Family Literacy program of the Center For New Americans here.

Join The Writer’s Circle

If you’d like to have the support to overcome your inner struggles with writing, come join my Just Do The Writing Accountability Circle. The last day to register is TODAY, Wednesday, November 23rd for the session that starts on Monday, November 28th. http://JustDoTheWriting.com

Your Turn

How are you holding back? What are you ready to share? Tell us what you think.

 Jenna

Coming Attractions

~> November 28th. The next session of my Writer’s Circle starts. Sign up here. Get my Free Writing Tips series too, and get a coupon for a savings on your first session.

~> November 29th. It’s my birthday! I’ll be holding a birthday sale for the entire week. Details coming soon.

 


~> Ongoing. Writing for the ProSeries class at ScreenwritingU. Today I worked on eliminating clichés from my script. Super cool.

~> Daily and especially Fridays. Sacred writing time. The Do Not Disturb sign is up. Except this week sacred writing Friday became sacred writing Tuesday because of Thanksgiving. :)

Filed Under: Creative Blocks, Creativity, Writing Tagged With: , , , , , ,

I Can See Clearly Now, The Rain Is Gone

April 14, 2011 by 3 Comments

One of my Life Lessons is confusion. I can easily fall into confusion and uncertainty about what I want to Do or how I want to do It or if I even want to do It at all.

I can end up spinning in circles pretty easily. So I thought I’d remind us all about what confusion looks like and how to get out of it.

Confusion shows up when:

  • You aren’t listening to your deeper self.
  • You aren’t speaking the highest truth you know.
  • You’ve lost touch with your Big Dream or Big Idea.
  • You aren’t taking Right Action on making your Big Dreams real.
  • You aren’t in connection with your Big Dream Believers — the people that believe in you even when you can’t believe in yourself.
  • You’ve bumped into an unexpected obstacle and you aren’t sure what to do next.
  • You have lots of ideas and you don’t know where to start.
  • Your creative fears are masquerading as confusion or apathy (jackpot!).

Here’s what you can do to find your way out of the fog to the rainbow of clarity you’re looking for:

  • Tap into your deeper self — visualizations, coaching with a spiritual coach, or automatic writing are all powerful tools to help you get there.
  • Speak your truth until you can’t think of a single other thing to say. 
  • Write like your life depends on it. Write morning pages, write words, write articles.
  • Remind yourself of your Big Idea and what it is that you were put here to do. I have my clients craft Vision Intention statements so they can go back to their ideas when they lose their way. Get your hands analyzed if you haven’t already so you know your life purpose.
  • Take action. “Sometimes you have to make the right decision and sometimes you have to make the decision right,” as Dr. Phil likes to say. If you find out you’ve taken the wrong action, try something else.
  • Put yourself in a safe situation where like minded folks (other Big Dream Believers) can truly support you to find your clarity (come to my Voice Your Vision retreat in 2 weeks if you’re wanting this kind of support).
  • Take an objective look at your obstacles. Is there a way around them you haven’t already considered? Some radical or risky step you’ve not allowed yourself to consider but might actually be the exact solution you need? (Sell the house. Move to another area. Quit the crappy job. Ask for a loan. Tell off your grouchy cousin. Find a way to forgive yourself.)
  • Pick a place to start. You can always change your mind. If you had to pick one idea to start with right now, what would it be?
  • Core dump your fears onto paper until they lose their power.

One of the funny things I’ve noticed is that deeper down inside the quiet that is my higher, Essential Self, the truth is consistently there, reminding me of what I really want despite all my head spinning to the contrary. My deeper self ALWAYS knows what the Real Plan is, even when I’m thinking I’m I have no idea what to do. And if I just give her a chance to show up, she does.

Then I find out that I’m a lot less confused than I thought I was.

What about you?

 

~~~~~

What’s Jenna Up To?

~> April 19th, 2011. My Artist’s Way Accountability & Support Group continues. Details.

~> April 20, 2011. Speaking at the Thriving Practice Workshop Series in Berkeley, California on creating a web presence and using social media to reach clients.

~>April 23, 2011. Next broadcast of my Radio Lightworker radio show “Dreamification” on “Visioning and Moving Ahead With Your Dreams Even in the Face of Fear.” Details. Listen from anywhere in the world to this Internet radio show.

~> April 29th & 30th, 2011. My next Voice Your Vision retreat in Berkeley, California. Registration CLOSES APRIL 18th . Special savings if you’ve already had your hands analyzed. Check out this video to get a sense of what it’s like to work with me in this way.

~> May 26th, 2011. My first Life Purpose Breakthrough Group. The special focus is: Intuition & Inner Wisdom — discover how your intuition shows up in the gifts markings in your hands. Registration CLOSES APRIL 28th .

Filed Under: Creativity, Life Purpose Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,