Consistent need

Sometimes life catches up with you and the best intentions are left by the wayside. My commitment was to publish this newsletter once every week. But last week Friday crept up on me an passed without notice and the newsletter wasn't published.

When you miss a deadline or skip on a scheduled activity, how do you deal with it. Because there is no more honor in cutting yourself some slack and taking a deserved break than what there is in pushing on and getting the job done.

It is more a question of how you work than what your character is. Some of us cannot skip a deadline, leave a task unfinished or take a break just because. Some of us cannot handle repetition and schedules or work through the night.

The important thing is not what your basic make up is but how you manage to do the things you have to do, and more importantly, the things you want to do. Writing a book for most of us, unless we are already a pro or the proposal has been sold, is a want and not a need. For the wider world it is neither here nor there whether we get it done or not.

What you need, really need, is a need to finish the book. A deep want that transcends your short comings, opposition or plain indifference. And then you need to trick yourself into getting it done.

For myself, I battle to finish things but start something new with ease. I structure my things that need doing so that every task is broken into many starts that I can start anew every time. Until I reach the point where it is almost pointless not to finish.

As to this newsletter. I keep it simple and short and do not belabor the point.

That's good enough for me.

Gerhi Janse van Vuuren

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== Gerhi Janse van Vuuren is a writer. Read more of his articles at 2 Write a Book.com or visit his personal site at Gerhi.com ==

Links:

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