The Cost of Inaction
Hi friends,
A few days ago, I started a journal entry with the question, “What are the things you’re not paying attention to that you might regret later?” I was glad to find that the answers were all related to my personal goals and less about missed opportunities related to my family. It would have been painful to read that I wasn’t spending enough time with my daughter, for example, although we all can do better as parents—it’s a journey, not a destination, isn’t it?
The things I’m not paying attention to now, like publishing a children’s book that’s been sitting on my drive after a few rejections from publishers, have been on my mind. Also, it’s been more than a year since I published my first story, and I want to take the novel project I’m working on more seriously.
I think this happens when we don’t pay attention to the way we schedule our time in a given week. Some of the things I’m not paying attention to don’t need a daily dedicated time. Submitting stories, for example, requires an hour or two a week, where I can just send stories I’ve already written to different magazines. The same goes for publishing the children’s book—an hour a week to research and reach out to agents, or even to submit to small publishers that don’t require an agent, is enough.
But we dread this small actions that lack short-term reward. We are swimming in a culture filled with instant gratification.
The magic antidote here is to put things on a calendar. I work a 9-5, so I use a calendar for my work meetings, projects, and tasks. I also use it for scripting and recording YouTube videos, sending this newsletter, and writing sessions.
For me, if it’s not on my calendar, I find it harder to do. If it’s in the calendar, then I find myself saying no to things that would potentially distract me from sticking to the things I need to do that day (no more than three things a day).
The only reason I’m making this public, although it’s a little embarrassing, is that it comes with an accountability bill. If I tell my friends or readers here that I’m trying to publish a children’s book and I will dedicate 1-2 hours a week to do so, then every time I think about the book, I feel like there are people who are waiting for an update. It’s that extra push we get from working on a group project or facing a deadline.
If you’re like me and you need that extra push, then reply to this email by answering the question: “What are the things you’re ignoring now that could make a positive difference later on?”
You might receive a follow-up email from me in the future asking about the things you’re trying to accomplish.
💎 New From Me
If you have found yourself wondering what makes us fall in love with certain authors, or what makes your stories unique then check out my video on How to Develop Your Unique Writing Voice
🔖 Quote I’m pondering
"Your actions reveal not what you want, but what you choose."
— Shane Parrish
📸 Through My Lens
Please give me feedback on the newsletter by replying to this email. Do you find it worth your time? What do you want more or less of? Or other suggestions?
Thank you for reading!
Mohamed