8 Abstract Ideas to Write More When You Absolutely Don’t Want to

Comfort is a (very real) state of mind

You’ve heard the expression practice makes perfect.

How the first step of the rest of your life starts today. But unfortunately, not everyone is equipped with the same mental tools.

For some people, practice is prefaced with panic and procrastination.

Personally, I used to be one of those people.

Head bursting with ideas, it would feel too painful to loosen the faucet and let my ideas flow. Often, I’d spend more time resisting writing than it took to simply sit down and get started.

So, if you ponder vast premises of life but spend yours waiting until the perfect time to present them, this story is for you.

Here’s how you can open the floodgates of your mind and fall in love with the process of writing.

Self-expression is a powerful drug.

In Malcolm Gladwell’s award-winning book, “Outliers”, he outlines a simple methodology for becoming an expert at anything.

He calls it the 10,000-hour rule.

Essentially, anyone can become an expert at anything with enough practice. And recently, I’ve heard popular internet entrepreneur, Alex Hormozi, share how proficiency in 99% of skills, is achieved within the first 20 hours.

This means if you want to become a proficient writer, the most important thing is sitting down and getting started.

But, here’s the thing…

Self-expression is like a drug— scary, exhilarating, addictive, and proceeded by a crash. Once you begin expressing yourself, it becomes a necessity.

The fulfillment of having written is short-lived. And the process can be painful. Knowing this, we often resist letting go and diving into our innermost psyches.

The highs are high — the lows are low, and these strong waves of emotion are enough to prevent most people from ever getting started.

So, we procrastinate.

Although discipline and motivation can help you conquer any inner beast, they may not be enough to wade into the depths of yourself day in and day out. So, if you love to write — but don’t, you may need something a little stronger.

To give up control and become obsessed…

Don’t be disciplined— get obsessed, instead.

Expressing oneself is inherently human.

We love to gossip because it helps us learn. Singing, drawing, and dancing light up our souls because they allow us to share information with our fellow humans.

And, of course, everyone in the world loves a good story because stories are how we keep memories alive.

But today, it feels harder than ever to make a living expressing yourself. Yes, there are endless ways to earn money through creativity, but it feels as though you must earn the right to create freely.

Self-expression today, feels like a privilege.

If you’ve experienced a flow state before, you can attest to it feeling otherworldly, like entering another dimension.

A symphony made of vowels and consonants.

The sound of your keyboard clanking away, conducting the percussion of your innermost thoughts. One finger flutters in the air while another patiently waits for its turn to hit the next note.

You see your ideas project onto your computer screen, only to be tweaked, re-imagined, and re-told in real-time. Eventually, you’ve settled enough words onto your wheel to spin it into something beautiful.

A story worth reading.

This experience alone would sound like enough to sit down each day and write your heart out — especially if you’re getting paid.

But, the creative mind is often constricted by modern life, such as adhering to algorithmic demands, trying not to offend the masses, and balancing it with the necessity of making money.

All of this creates mental blockages.

I’ve been writing online as consistently as I could since 2017.

But honestly, I’ve only now become proficient enough to sit down and express my thoughts consistently. This is because I tacked restrictions onto my writing journey early on.

Posting “X” times per week.

Getting “Y” numbers of views.

Making “Z” amount of money.

If I could go back in time, I would have thrown the equation out the window and focused on what really mattered — sitting down to write.

Working through that first hour, 20 hours, and past proficiency toward becoming an expert.

I would have focused on writing rather than having written.

So, instead of forcing yourself to write only to burn out, fall back in love with the process.

These books helped me get started:

• The Artist’s Way: by Julia Cameron
• On Writing Well: by William Zinsser
• The War of Art: by Steven Pressfield

And these habits will help you make writing a life-long practice…

8 ways to re-kindle your obsession.

Imagine standing atop a cliff.

As your feet near the edge, time slows, and reality blurs with imagination. Your body resists as your mind imagines what will come next.

You know where you want to be — and how to get there, but there’s a barrier. Resistance.

You want to jump.

So, why is it so difficult?

As Steven Pressfield writes in The War of Art,

“The more fear we feel about a specific enterprise, the more certain we can be that that enterprise is important to us and to the growth of our soul. That’s why we feel so much Resistance. If it meant nothing to us, there’d be no Resistance.”

Humans are creatures of comfort. We don’t want to let go of what’s safe, even if it weighs us down. And building new habits means letting go of old ones.

Julia Cameron writes in The Artist’s Way,

“‘Real’ artists are people who have learned to create despite their fears.”

So, if you resist writing, you must write. And, if you want to write consistently, you need to give up control. To become obsessed with the act of writing, you must first let go.

Here are 8 practical habits to do just that…

1. Morning pages:

In 2017, after re-kindling my passion for writing, I began sitting down each morning to write 200 words.

This practice of Morning Pages, from The Artist’s Way, became the foundation of my writing growth over the next six years. And is one of the best habits I’ve ever developed. As Julia writes,

“Each morning, as we face the page, we meet ourselves. The pages give us a place to vent and a place to dream. They are intended for no eyes but our own.”

Just write words, even if they don’t say anything meaningful. Eventually, they will speak volumes.

2. Force accountability:

Most people are disciplined. But your brain can play tricks on you — making you focus your attention where it isn’t warranted.

So, as much as writing freely is beautiful for creative expression, it can be helpful to set up external metrics for accountability. Practicing in public is a great way to hold yourself accountable.

To share your ideas.

To finish that memoir.

To actually hit publish.

As much as you don’t want to become a cog in a content wheel, having an outlet to express yourself encourages you to keep writing.

Much like Morning Pages, sitting down to write at the same time each day, helps your brain overcome the uncertainty of inspiration. As Steven Pressfield writes,

“This is the other secret that real artists know and wannabe writers don’t. When we sit down each day and do our work, power concentrates around us. The Muse takes note of our dedication. She approves. We have earned favour in her sight. When we sit down and work, we become like a magnetized rod that attracts iron filings. Ideas come. Insights accrete.”

That said, if merely sitting down to write makes you feel panicked, here’s a trick…

3. Get inspired and THEN write:

In that order.

Inspiration never strikes when you need it to, and although sitting down to write will call the creative muse to your aid, many people fear the stillness that comes with waiting.

If you’re not inspired to write… just get inspired.

Watch a movie, listen to music, laugh, and lay on the floor with your cat, it doesn’t have to be related to writing. Flood your brain with inspiring chemicals, and it will open up its creative floodgates in return.

Coffee works, but you don’t want to become reliant. Going for walks feels like a cheat code, but you can’t always get outside. Live life, light up your soul, turn on your computer, and let your fingers do the rest.

4. Remind yourself of your ‘why’:

Every 1–2 months, I will lose sight of my path and feel lost.

Like clockwork, life will feel overwhelming, and I will begin to question my choices. Then, just as predictably, upon writing down what’s bothering me, I will instantly remember my ‘why’.

And, feel silly I didn’t turn to my journal sooner.

The human brain has a hard time letting go of thoughts it deems to be important. Picking up eggs on the way home, remembering to pack your kids’ lunches, or responding to your co-worker's urgent Saturday morning email. These daily reminders take up valuable brain space, and over time, you forget why you even want to write in the first place.

Get a journal.

Write things down.

Don’t worry about doing it consistently.

It’s the best tool you’ll ever invest in. It acts as:

• A voice when you don’t feel heard
• A set of ears when you need to listen
• A physical mirror for abstract thoughts

And, a place to write down your wildest dreams. Making them real and planting a seed for a better future.

5. Just do it (for no reason):

I recently learned where the famous Nike phrase, “Just do it”, came from.

Dan Wieden, one of Nike’s advertising executives, was inspired to write the famous slogan after hearing Gary Gilmore, a convicted murderer, utter these words before his execution:

“Let’s do it.”

And, although this is not the uplifting backstory you might expect, Nike said it best. Sometimes, you just have to do it.

Procrastination is often protected by perfectionism — especially among high-performing individuals. But it’s okay to do something for no good reason.

Write about your cat, Peppers, but never publish it.

Describe the imagery of the willow tree outside your bedroom.

Write for no other reason than you love it. If you ask me, that’s a pretty great reason.

6. Read more:

Turning from aspiring to career writer is a scary proposition for anyone.

Amongst the litany of mental/emotional hurdles one must leap over, there’s a tendency to overproduce. Especially today, algorithms favour output and often writers get so caught up in creating content they forget to get outside and absorb new perspectives.

My life is very simple.

I like going for walks, learning, and generally growing as a human. So, I make sure to read/listen to as many words as I can. Fiction books, podcasts, movies, anything offering new insight into how to spin words into wonderful webs of storytelling.

7. Be a copycat:

In the book, Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon writes,

“If you ever find that you’re the most talented person in the room, you need to find another room.”

We live in a strange time of social isolation mixed with the overwhelming stimulus of online interaction. Often, simply opening up your social media feed can come with serious mental drawbacks:

• The idea you had for an article or book seems to already have been written
• You see someone more successful than you and feel as though you’ve failed

This comparison won’t get you anywhere.

And, instead of looking at the world as your competitors, look at it as a vast landscape of co-workers. You can find inspiration anywhere, and it’s okay to try on different hats to see which one looks best on you.

Admire others. Learn from them. Mimic their success, and eventually, you’ll find your own.

8. Embrace failure:

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned came after spending my life’s savings to find myself, and finding nothing more than a pit of regret… and sizeable credit card debt.

At times, the world can feel like a highlight reel — with everyone showcasing their greatest hits. But, one of the most valuable skills you can learn, is how to fail.

Imagine having the ability to endure a fall from any height only to respawn, instantly, with no repercussions.

Would you be afraid to reach for the stars?

Would vast heights make your knees buckle?

If your wildest dreams lay opposite a sizeable gap, would you fear taking a leap of faith?

Likely, no — as there’d be no reason to.

Knowing you can trip, stumble, and fall, but get back up and continue on, makes you unstoppable. And embracing small failures to learn how to move toward big wins, makes all the sense in the world.

Final thoughts: comfort is a state of mind.

Dipping your toe in a hot bath may be shocking at first.

But, once you get in and submit to its bubbly, relaxing goodness, you probably won’t want to get out. The truth is, the only barrier between you now and becoming the writer you are in your head, is sitting in that tub and turning on the faucet.

To summarize: here’s how to get re-obsessed with writing:

• Let go — and dive in
• Do it for no good reason
• Embrace the uncomfortable
• Remind yourself of your path
• Dive in and learn to swim as you go

There’s an age-old adage that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. In my humble opinion, this notion is heavily romanticized.

Love is hard work. Pain should be painful. And the greatest successes merely reveal new paths. But, if you love something you can’t help but put in the effort to make it work.

So, my advice is to lean into your obsession. Take that leap, dive in, and let time slip through your fingers.

It’s uncomfortable — and it’s worth it.

Hi, I’m Hudson. I write about living healthier, happier, and more mindfully. To see my stories pop up on your feed, I’d love for you to follow me (Hudson Rennie). And, to have stories sent directly to you, subscribe to my newsletter.👇

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