Consistency matters
17 Dec 2012Ok, you managed to start, now what.
It's been a while since my last post here, so I guess I did start writing, but then I stopped. I now realize I left out a very important part: consistency.
It's very common for me to get the urge of doing something I enjoy but I've neglected to do for some time, like writing. When I realize I haven't been writing for a very long time, and I want to, I sit and write for a while to satisfy that urge. But then I don't do it, again for a very long time.
To be able to improve at something, you have to commit yourself to do it consistently, and depending on the activity this could mean daily, weekly or whatever, but it has to be consistent. So if you want to improve your writing, you need to do it daily, maybe set a commitment to write 500 words everyday, or you can ease into it the first week with 200 a day, but it has to be every day. If you manage to do this for at least three weeks, then you got yourself a habit! And on to the next one.
On the topic of commitments and goals, I think goals are very good if used wisely. Setting a goal and going after it does not need to be a constant struggle, in which you're doing everything in your power to acomplish it with no regard for the suffering of the people around you or your own. Goals should not be set in stone.
However, as I said, you do need to be able to commit yourself to doing something consistently, and you also need to visualize your goal, or picture yourself as being, in this case, a writer. And you should take the time to evaluate your goals to make sure you still want to achieve them.
In conclusion, the hard part is to start, but once you start you have to keep going, otherwise you'll be doing the hard part every time you need to start over.