avatarHumaira Iqbal

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Abstract

llection of unfinished posts on Grammarly. Not 1,000+ like my notes, thankfully, but still a few.</p><p id="75e4">They aren’t all unfinished posts waiting to be unleashed into the wild, but some are. Some are just titles. (Others are random things, such as shopping lists and — wait, I’ll leave that for my post about having 1,000+ notes.)</p><p id="b173">I started my previous blog in 2016 and had it for a few years before <a href="https://link.medium.com/b0dwoBEXwfb">I deleted it</a>. That’s the same time that my notes collection began.</p><p id="8e19">It’s likely also the time that my writing-related commitment issues began.</p><p id="2f76">Actually, that’s not entirely true. I have an extreme personality, which means I give either 100% or 0. I tend to go either all in or all out. Or I’ll start off at 100% and work my way down to 0. That’s definitely a big part of the issue…</p><p id="8998">Anyway, I need to snap out of it. I’m currently working on a fundraising project which involves <a href="https://link.medium.com/MwlKOdMXwfb">donating my Medium earnings to charity this Ramadan</a>. Of course, I want to raise as much money as possible, so I need to publish as many stories as possible. Leaving them unfinished in my drafts kinda makes this project 10 times more stressful than it needs to be.</p><p id="91de">But not for long! Today’s the day we’re hoping to change all this, God willing.</p><div id="cdc8" class="link-block"> <a href="https://link.medium.com/tiQtLB9Xwfb"> <div> <div> <h2>How You Can Donate To My Fundraising Project For Free</h2> <div><h3>I'm donating my Medium earnings to charity this Ramadan. You can check out my pledge post below. The good news is that…</h3></div> <div><p>link.medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*T9igkJiepbWzmtnO.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><h1 id="a937">Action Plan</h1><p id="16bf">With that being said, I’m setting myself a challenge. I might end up hating myself for doing this. I might fail miserably. Or I might end up writing some of the best pieces I’ve ever written! Who knows what will happen? <i>Definitely not me.</i></p><p id="90cf">The goal is to finish writing my unfinished posts and, essentially, to stop leaving posts half-written. Here are the rules:</p><ul><li><b>I have to sort out my current drafts, notes and Grammarly posts — basically, my unfinished posts. This means either deleting them if they’re not relevant or finishing and publishing them if they are. (Or at least, as many as I can).</b></li><li><b>I’m only allowed to start writing a new post if I finish it. This means I can’t start writing a brand new post and then leave it halfway through while I go to start another one. Doing that is a big fat no.</b></li><li><b>I’m allowed to write down my blog post ideas in one single note on my iPhone. (I had to add this at the last minute, as I just had an idea

Options

for a post right now. Don’t worry, I’m not going to start writing it yet. But I <i>do</i> need a place to be able to write down new ideas.)</b></li></ul><p id="9645">I’m being generous by allowing myself to start writing new posts instead of just forcing myself to finish my old ones. I know it would be <i>awful</i> if I couldn’t write new posts. And it probably wouldn’t encourage me to finish my old drafts that way, either.</p><p id="1f4f">There’s no deadline for this challenge. However, I’m hoping to update you all in a week to inform you of my (hopeful) progress. I’ll post an update on Saturday 24th April, God willing. Let’s hope I don’t forget! Or fail miserably.</p><p id="64d7">Well, I guess that means I do have somewhat of a deadline — or, at least, a deadline to get started. By that, I mean I don’t have to have finished writing all of my unfinished posts by then; I just have to have made a start on breaking this bad habit.</p><p id="05a2">Do you struggle with the same issue? If so, why not take on this challenge with me? Let me know if you do so, I can keep up with your progress. And if you do decide to, just know that we’ve got this!</p><p id="7f7d">More from the author in ILLUMINATION:</p><div id="38ea" class="link-block"> <a href="https://link.medium.com/eA7DOa6Xwfb"> <div> <div> <h2>Failing My Driving Test Was One Of My Biggest Blessings</h2> <div><h3>Back story: I failed multiple times. Being told I had failed was awful each time. That horrible feeling, the whole…</h3></div> <div><p>link.medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*N3nzWtJ-i5CYqHHz.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="9d35" class="link-block"> <a href="https://link.medium.com/0rtObsoYwfb"> <div> <div> <h2>Lavender Tightrope</h2> <div><h3>Treacherous footsteps were taken every dayon that Lavender tightrope quakingspontaneous events occurred inside the…</h3></div> <div><p>link.medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*UJ6ultMWXpt9TY5i.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="32f8" class="link-block"> <a href="https://link.medium.com/elXJm4qYwfb"> <div> <div> <h2>Positive Optimism</h2> <div><h3>Dark days will be hadbut even in those daysthere is goodnessto be Found Every cloudhas itsSilver Liningand there are…</h3></div> <div><p>link.medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*vrax9BRqJ_PDKIoY.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

I Keep Writing New Posts & Abandoning Them Halfway Through

Here’s hoping I actually finish writing this one.

Source: Jess Bailey from Unsplash

I have 32 unfinished drafts on Medium. In all honesty, I wasn’t planning on finishing them anytime soon. Instead, I probably would have started writing even more drafts and added them to my ever-growing pile if it wasn’t for this challenge. (See more about the challenge below.)

That’s just what I do. That’s what I’ve always done. I don’t finish writing my stories, and it’s really annoying. It’s usually due to one of the following reasons:

  1. I’ll have another idea halfway through writing a post. And I just have to start working on my new idea there and then, even if that means abandoning the story I’m currently writing.
  2. I can’t be bothered finishing posts. Laziness? Check.
  3. I’m a perfectionist. And I hate it. I mean, how can I possibly finish writing a post? There’s so much to say; what if I don’t say it right? How do I add only the best parts? How do I write it to the best of my abilities? There are so many different directions a post can go in — how do I make sure it goes in the right one?

Okay, now I just had the idea of writing about being a perfectionist, but in order to actually get this post finished and published, I’m going to leave that for another time.

For this post (the one you’re currently reading), the three things I just mentioned have to be thrown out of the window. I simply have to get this published. I don’t want another draft sitting in my pile, waiting by the door for its time to come. No — this is the one. This is getting posted, God willing.

I should also mention that I have over 1,000 notes on my iPhone. (I keep meaning to write about this… I will do eventually, I guess.) That definitely makes me a note hoarder, I know. A portion of my notes are blog post ideas I had for my previous blog. And ideas for my current blog. And some for Medium stories, too. While we’re in full confessional mode, I should add that I also have a collection of unfinished posts on Grammarly. Not 1,000+ like my notes, thankfully, but still a few.

They aren’t all unfinished posts waiting to be unleashed into the wild, but some are. Some are just titles. (Others are random things, such as shopping lists and — wait, I’ll leave that for my post about having 1,000+ notes.)

I started my previous blog in 2016 and had it for a few years before I deleted it. That’s the same time that my notes collection began.

It’s likely also the time that my writing-related commitment issues began.

Actually, that’s not entirely true. I have an extreme personality, which means I give either 100% or 0. I tend to go either all in or all out. Or I’ll start off at 100% and work my way down to 0. That’s definitely a big part of the issue…

Anyway, I need to snap out of it. I’m currently working on a fundraising project which involves donating my Medium earnings to charity this Ramadan. Of course, I want to raise as much money as possible, so I need to publish as many stories as possible. Leaving them unfinished in my drafts kinda makes this project 10 times more stressful than it needs to be.

But not for long! Today’s the day we’re hoping to change all this, God willing.

Action Plan

With that being said, I’m setting myself a challenge. I might end up hating myself for doing this. I might fail miserably. Or I might end up writing some of the best pieces I’ve ever written! Who knows what will happen? Definitely not me.

The goal is to finish writing my unfinished posts and, essentially, to stop leaving posts half-written. Here are the rules:

  • I have to sort out my current drafts, notes and Grammarly posts — basically, my unfinished posts. This means either deleting them if they’re not relevant or finishing and publishing them if they are. (Or at least, as many as I can).
  • I’m only allowed to start writing a new post if I finish it. This means I can’t start writing a brand new post and then leave it halfway through while I go to start another one. Doing that is a big fat no.
  • I’m allowed to write down my blog post ideas in one single note on my iPhone. (I had to add this at the last minute, as I just had an idea for a post right now. Don’t worry, I’m not going to start writing it yet. But I do need a place to be able to write down new ideas.)

I’m being generous by allowing myself to start writing new posts instead of just forcing myself to finish my old ones. I know it would be awful if I couldn’t write new posts. And it probably wouldn’t encourage me to finish my old drafts that way, either.

There’s no deadline for this challenge. However, I’m hoping to update you all in a week to inform you of my (hopeful) progress. I’ll post an update on Saturday 24th April, God willing. Let’s hope I don’t forget! Or fail miserably.

Well, I guess that means I do have somewhat of a deadline — or, at least, a deadline to get started. By that, I mean I don’t have to have finished writing all of my unfinished posts by then; I just have to have made a start on breaking this bad habit.

Do you struggle with the same issue? If so, why not take on this challenge with me? Let me know if you do so, I can keep up with your progress. And if you do decide to, just know that we’ve got this!

More from the author in ILLUMINATION:

Self Improvement
Writing
Writing Challenge
This Happened To Me
Self
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