One Simple Trick to Avoid Resistance When You Start a New Writing Endeavor

Summary

Starting a new writing project early, five days before the scheduled start, helps overcome resistance by building a habit, understanding one's writing rhythm, and accumulating content, thus easing the transition and reducing fear.

Abstract

The article discusses a strategy to mitigate the common fears associated with beginning a new writing project, particularly on a different platform. The author, who has a consistent writing habit on Medium, shares the benefits of starting to write five days before the intended commencement date. This head start allows the writer to adjust to the new workload, familiarize themselves with the platform, and establish a routine. The author emphasizes that this approach not only helps in overcoming the intimidation of expanding one's workload but also in building a writing habit and accumulating drafts, which can be crucial for maintaining consistency. The article suggests that by cheating on the start time, writers can transition more smoothly into their new endeavors and avoid the procrastination often linked to New Year's Resolutions, where the focus is on the intention rather than the action itself.

Opinions

The author believes that the fear of starting a new writing endeavor is not just about failure but also about the added workload and the challenge of building a new audience.
It is suggested that starting a writing habit earlier than planned can significantly reduce the fear and resistance associated with new projects.
The author shares personal experience as evidence, having begun writing on Medium before the official start date of a year-long challenge.
The article posits that the extra days provide practical benefits, such as establishing a writing routine, determining optimal writing times and durations, and creating a buffer of drafts.
The author opines that people often fail to start new endeavors on time, akin to unfulfilled New Year's Resolutions, and that early action is key to success.
A recommendation is made for writers to start five days before their scheduled time to ensure a smoother beginning and to maintain momentum in their new writing project.

Hint: Cheat on your start time

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Recently, I created a Twitter account and began posting content to build an audience on another platform (and also build my email list faster).

Like most new endeavors, I thought I wouldn’t do it. I’ve been posting on Medium every single day for a year and a half now and it’s been my primary platform ever since. Now that I’ve posted consistently on Twitter for a few days, the fear that gobbled me up escaped my body.

Why do people, especially writers, get scared when it’s time to pivot in a new direction?

But you can overcome resistance by starting 5 days before your scheduled time.

This is such a simple hack that most people don’t use. I did this when I began writing on Medium. I made a pact with myself to write and publish an article every single day for a year.

The challenge was supposed to start June 1st, but I wanted to write a few articles before I started so I could have some extra drafts to publish every single day. I actually started my journey on May 25th.

A few more perks happened in that short period (May 25th-June 1st):

I started my writing habit early

I got a feel for when and where I like to write

I figured out how long I should write

Cheating on your start time helps.

I’ve realized that most people have a set date that they’re supposed to start a new endeavor, but they never do it on time. It’s like another New Year’s Resolution — we focus on the idea of starting rather than doing the action.

I started five days before my intended start time on Twitter and although I’m not posting as much as a want to (yet), I’m still reaching my goal of tweeting at least 5 times per day.

So, how can writers avoid resistance when starting a new endeavor or project?

Start 5 days earlier. It’ll make a HUGE difference.

One Simple Trick to Avoid Resistance When You Start a New Writing Endeavor

Hint: Cheat on your start time

It’s more than the fear of failure — it’s the intimidation of expanding your workload.

But you can overcome resistance by starting 5 days before your scheduled time.

Cheating on your start time helps.