Just Sing
Photo by Felix Koutchinski on Unsplash
I am writing… I am in a coffee shop and I'm writing… I'm in a coffee shop AND I'm WRITING…
Now sing that like you're Will Ferrell in Elf and you'll know what was just going through my head.
About 30 minutes ago when I sat down to write, the words came pouring out of me so quickly my poor little hands could barely keep up. Then, I hit a block. No new ideas. So, I took a few sips of my black Americano, which was finally cool enough to drink, and I almost switched gears to start reading. Almost.
Then I remembered that the best way to write a book is to write a book.
If you want to write more this year, then write more this year. If you want to read more, then read more. If you want to walk more, go on more vacations, spend more time with your kids… whatever it is the answer is simpler than you think. It doesn't have to be perfect; you just have to do it.
Studies on habit formation show that the people who make the most progress aren’t the ones who perform perfectly, but the ones who show up consistently. Research shows simple behaviors repeated every day are far more likely to become automatic over time, and missing a day doesn’t break the habit, but skipping multiple days in a row weakens it significantly. Another large review found that building a lasting habit takes anywhere from two to five months, depending on the complexity of the behavior - but the strongest predictor of success wasn’t intensity, it was repetition. In other words, the days you write just a little, walk just around the block, or read just one page matter more than the days you crush it.
Consistency compounds. Perfection doesn’t.
You don't need to know the lyrics to sing a song, you just need to start singing. This year I promised myself that I wouldn't care if I sang in key, if I got the lyrics right, or even if anyone was listening; none of it mattered as long as I was singing. But you know, writing, not singing.
So, fill in the blank. What will you do more of this year?
I'm ____________.... I'm in a store and I'm ___________________. I'm in a store AND I'm ____________.
