What to Do When You Don’t Have Deadlines
Last week I had a session with a mentoring client who is a very talented writer, but has trouble getting motivated to query. However, she mentioned that she was able to get her Ph.D. dissertation done on time. And we all know that a dissertation is no easy project!
To me, the difference between pounding out a dissertation on time and dithering around with queries (and letters of introduction, and other marketing tactics) and making no progress is this: Deadlines. When you write a dissertation, you have an end date. You have a goal. But when it comes to writing queries, there is no deadline, and no one is breathing down your neck waiting for your perfect pitch.
If you have trouble getting yourself to market, I suggest setting self-imposed deadlines for queries and other marketing activities. But the problem with that is, well, you’re not stupid. You know the deadline is not a real deadline. If you don’t make your self-imposed deadline, there is no editor who will yell at you or threaten to cut your fee.
Luckily, there are ways to give your self-imposed deadlines some oomph. For example:
1. Tweet Your Goals
A writer on a forum I frequent mentioned that if you tweet your writing goals on Twitter using the hashtag #writegoal, other writers will see it and send you motivating messages. Also, you’ll feel the pressure to make progress so you can report your successes later in the day.
2. Recruit a friend.
As I wrote in The Best Productivity Technique, my goal buddy and I started doing “boot camps” where we check in with one another by phone every hour during the day to report on what we did in the last hour and what we plan to do in the next hour. When I wrote this post we had just started doing this practice, and it’s worked so well that we do it every week. You can recruit a buddy to do boot camp, and on that day, let her know that you plan to write X number of queries or market in other ways.
3. Use negative reinforcement.
One writer I know made a pact with another writer: If she didn’t get her writing project done by a certain date, she would have to do something she really, really hates — and is actually afraid of. If you try this, maybe you’ll have to eat a food you can’t stand, watch a movie you hate (Leprechaun, anyone?), Or take over your spouse’s toilet-scrubbing duties for one month. (Oh, and my friend finished her project on time.)
4. Use positive reinforcement.
This is like the negative reinforcement tip, but you promise yourself something you enjoy if you do X amount of marketing in Y time. Be sure to tell a friend so you can’t cheat. For example, if you finish five queries you can treat yourself to a massage, a middle-of-the-workday movie, or your favorite dessert.
What are your tips for setting self-imposed deadlines, or for getting your marketing done when you really have no motivation? Please post in the Comments below! [lf]
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Jul 6, 2009 Advice, Marketing, Motivation, productivity
I would strongly caution against tweeting deadline goals. It’s not something I want public to any and all editors and publishers. I have never missed a deadline but if they’re new to me, and see me procrastinating or struggling what kind of first impression is that?
Another option -because I do believe in supporting each other – is a writers’ forum like Inked-in.com I started a group there called “Fumbling Toward Discipline” and others have taken it over which is great because I sort of, um, lost my motivation. But I do dip back in and out from time to time. Making a public goal is helpful. Of course anyone could join that network, too, but it’s much less public than Twitter. I absolutely cringe at some of the unprofessional stuff I see there. It’s like being at the world’s largest office holiday party and drinking too much. Just not the appropriate time and place!
- Cheers,
Jacqueline Church
PS I tweeted a couple of good resources for writers today. Worth checking out.
I like the idea of using positive or negative reinforcement depending on the personality type of the writer. I’ve been giving myself deadlines for ages and they work when I don’t just write them down but give myself a reason for setting the deadline. What will happen if I meet the deadline? What will happen if I don’t? Deadlines are definitely the way to go for meeting writing goals.
Also, I agree that making your goal public as Jacqueline mentioned above is a great motivator. I think that some goals can be posted on writers personal blogs to make them more accountable.
I tried that “recruit a friend” tactic once; we were motivating each other to go to a fitness class. It worked the first week but then we both found excuses and one influenced the other so that the going to gym failed in the end
[...] What to Do When You Don’t Have Deadlines Linda Formichelli offers four solid tips for making self-imposed deadlines stick on her blog, The Renegade Writer. [...]