Procrastination’s Sneakiest Ploy and How to Get Past It

April 25th, 2012 · · Blogging, Books, Procrastination, Success, Time Management, Writing 2 comments - Tags: , , ,

I started writing a new post. Yay me. Then I made the mistake of reading one my early season posts on low Twitter counts. Uh-oh.

Useful Procrastination is Procrastination

Material good enough to post can always use more editing. But let’s be honest:  sometimes the pull to edit older material is just a clever way to avoid facing a blank page.

Editing is the Death Knell of Production

Editing is the Death Knell of Production

Useful procrastination is still procrastination. 

Editing is Always Easier

When you’re editing, you’re not Twittering or Google+ing or YouTubing. You’re doing something productive, right?

Not necessarily. 

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How to Blog Successfully with “Good Enough” as Your Guide

March 14th, 2012 · · Blogging, Energy, Goals, Success 7 comments - Tags: , , , ,

Good Writing isn’t Bad

Lorne Michaels from Saturday Night Live says,
“SNL doesn’t run because its ready, it runs because its 11:30.”

Writer Benita Bowen recently interviewed me for her blog,  Writing From the Beginning.  What follows is an elaborated excerpt from that interview.

Q. Dawn, we both know that writing happens because you commit to doing it, but how do you carve out the time to write?  I know that your post, 5 Takeaways from the Seth Godin Interview touches on keeping balance in your life, but how do you apply those lessons to your writing?

I’ve embraced “good enough.”

fabulous to the rescue

Superhero FABULOUSA to the rescue

I strive to be fabulousa but I’ve learned to post when i’m just good-enuffa.

If you don’t see a blog update for a few weeks, it’s usually because I’m sucked into the fabulousa mind trap again.

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Guy Kawasaki & Me: Taking Chances and Scoring Points

March 5th, 2012 · · Books, Goals, Success, Writing 2 comments - Tags: , , ,
What the Plus by Guy Kawasaki

Guy's New Book

Guy Kawasaki likes me.

He emailed me directly. Personally. Here’s how it happened…

Guy Asks

Guy crowdsourced the proofing of his soon-to-be-published book, What the Plus! He wanted 20 beta testers to go through the draft within a very short timeframe. His post linked to a form where potential testers applied for the opportunity.

I Answer

I filled in the form and within a few days, he sent me the manuscript. Whoa — good start!

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Blogging On Schedule: 8 No-Nonsense Strategies to Generate Content

February 19th, 2012 · · Blogging, Procrastination, Success No comments - Tags: ,

Here are 8 surefire strategies to keep my blogging on track. They also work with other projects, especially when I encounter resistance.  Uhm…that would be ALL THE TIME. Sigh.

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My Procrastination Trick: How I Accomplish Unpleasant Tasks On Time

February 7th, 2012 · · Blogging, Books, Energy, Goals, Positive Emotions, Procrastination, Success, Time Management, Writing 2 comments - Tags: , , , , ,

As a self-employed single mom of two teens, my plate is constantly full. In the past I’ve typically used pressure to help me manage the demands.

Pressure Works But it Sucks

Dave paddling in front of an oil tanker.

Dave responds well to pressure.

Pressure galvanizes my attention. It’s a hangover from cramming for tests. Unfortunately, like cramming, it has the same end result: things get done but nothing sticks.

  • Pressure doesn’t cultivate excellence.
  • It doesn’t change behavior. 
  • It perpetuates last-minute living.
  • It’s an exhausting way to live.

A few years ago I started to categorize my tasks as pleasant and unpleasant. It was all tongue-in-cheek. Someone would ask, what are you doing today? I’d smile and answer,
“I have several things to do, some of which are unpleasant.”

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