I have a question for you:
Is there anything you’ve been putting off because you’re anxious?
If you’re anything like me, the answer is a resounding “Yes!”.
What about your life has been on your to-do list for way too long? What are you putting off doing that is making you anxious? If you’re like me, it’s likely something that you’re afraid of doing or afraid of not succeeding at.
The first thing to do is to face your fear. The only way to get over your anxiety-induced procrastination is to face the fear head-on. The best way to do that is to start small. I know that I’m afraid of failing at writing a book, even though I know that I have plenty of ideas and know how to be an organized, productive writer. So what I did was to start small.
I opened my laptop and looked for a notebook that was lying around. I picked it up, turned it over, and wrote my idea at the top of a clean page. I stared at it for a couple minutes, feeling that familiar knot in my stomach. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. I stared at the notebook for a couple more minutes, and then I wrote.
I started writing with just a few words, then more. I wrote a few paragraphs, then a page, and then a few pages. I wrote for a couple of hours, and I kept writing even after I got hungry and realized that I had to get dinner ready. I wrote until I was satisfied with what I had written, and then I read back over it.
It is easy to get caught up in the little details and to never actually write. I know I am prone to this. But the first step to writing a book is to write. If you can get that far, you’re well on your way. Every time you do something you’ve been putting off, you will feel better.
Remember:
The only way to get over your anxiety-induced procrastination is to face your fear head-on.
The first step to writing a book is to write.
You know what you want to do, so do it.