I’ve always wanted to be a writer; even though I was never a reader of fiction books. I had read plenty of non fiction books but I was never fully excited about writing business books. I believed they took a lot of research  in order to write something meaningful. I am too lazy to do the research to make a book accurate and interesting.

I come from a sales background. I’m used to thinking on the spot; making stuff up but not misleading at the same time.

Being a real estate sales guy, I wrote a few articles about property. This was the extent of my writing. No James Patterson was waiting to be unearthed from my inner soul.

So my procrastination continued. Here a 11 things I needed to address in order to beat my procrastination.

• The Fear Factor: Unmasking Procrastination’s Roots

  I had failed at virtually every side hustle I had tried. I had bought thousands of dollars worth of courses in affiliate marketing, network marketing and marketing in general; all earned me zero to little dollars.

  I felt like I was destined to being an employee for the rest of my life and never being able to escapre ‘working for the man’ where I traded time for dollars.

  Some of my mates were getting rich in their new ventures. Living in penthouses and driving Bentleys seemed like they were doing well. This seemed to be a common story online. Follow the guru and you too would be driving a Ferrari and living in a mansion within 90 days; sometimes 30.

  But not for me. I was a stucker to buying a course>

  This course would change my life. It had already done so for hundreds of others; why no me?

  Eventually I stopped buying the courses and unsubscribed from the ‘gurus’. My procrastion was get worse. I didn’t want to start anything new. I needed to look deeper within.

• Self-Sabotage Chronicles: Breaking Down Barriers

  I started to breakdown my past ventures. I some cases I was doing ok. But then I’d self sabotage myself:

  I wasn’t progressing as fast as I liked
  I wasn’t advancing like some of my mates
  I looked at the gurus and stopped working. They weren’t doing the slog, so why should I.
  I listened to non gurus and got off the main route and ended down ‘small creeks’ that led to nowhere
  I believed there had to be an easier, simpler way. The stories of hard work weren’t washing with me. There must be a short cut.

• Skill Set Exploration: Navigating the Landscape of Writing Abilities

  Writing was still my passion. I worshipped the copywriting kings. Dan Kennedy was my idol. I bought 14 of his books and devoured a fair chunk of them. I had dreams of sitting on a beach in Thailand, writing, and receiving huger cheques into my bank account. Being able to sit in a coffee shop knowing fellow diners were in awe of my writing process was a dream or mystical illusion I craved.

  I connected writers beeter than me. One guy was a copywriter and a success fiction writer. What a legend! That’s what I wanted to be. He showed my a better way to plot a book.

• The Power of Incremental Progress: Small Steps, Big Impact

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  Mike’s tips around plotting were immediately impactful.

  He showed me that by watching a television programme, I could break an episode down in to individual scenes, and then expand on those scenes to create a short book. A television show has the righ pace for a short read book. The action was fast and there was enough about the main character to keep the reader returning book after book. Characters drive book readership and short reads help a writer hone their skills.

  I got my first #1 in the UK afer 4 months of writing.

• Mindset Shifts: Cultivating a Proactive Writing Mentality

  I knew that if I was going to beat procrastion and start writing not only would I need to start but to keep going. I couldn’t stop and start. I needed to be consistent.

  I also knew that I needed support. Join in with a group of writers who were doing the one thing I had procrastined for 30 years, write.

  I found an online group of 1300 writers from around the world; some just starting, others making 7 figures in income.

  This is exactly what I needed I would recommend any budding writer find a group online or in person, and join in. Community is vital to experience as a writer. It’s often a lonely journey. Having support and comfort keeps you going.

• Tools and Techniques: Strategies for Consistent Writing That Helped in Conquering 30 Yeards of Procrastination

  The biggest tool or statrategy I adopted was more about my mindset than an app. I made a descision that I was going to do ‘this writing thing’ and that I would be successful.

  My most productive strategy was to write in time blocks. 2 hours on; then 2 hours off – completely! I found this approach gave me focus and produced more writing than would have come from an ‘8 hour day’.

  For me writing early in the morning was the time of the day. Little to no distractions. I also had a full time job which meant writing had to be done after hours.

  I also realised I could not do everything about writing and publishing a book. Many of the skills needed were way beyond my level of competence.

  So I outsourced my book covers, editing and book formating. I engaged experts in those fields according to my budget. The work produced was in accordance with my budget but with a keen eye I was able to create visually worthy material.

  I get better every year.

• Overcoming Writer’s Block: Strategies for Creative Flow

  I’ve never really suffered writer’s block. More specific I still suffer writer’s start and consistency. But not block.

  To me ideas are everywhere. I have a curious mind. I can see stories in the most minutest detail.

  Some times I just write by the seat of my pants; other times I plot in detail. To be more accurate I’m a hybrid writer and being a plotter and a pantzer.

• Accountability Partnerships: The Power of Shared Goals

  You need support as a writer. You need to build community. You should join groups and find buddies who can help you.

• Celebrating Milestones: Recognizing and Rewarding Progress

  

  I believe in celebrating small wins. After a week of consistently writing I would head to my favourite fish n chip shop on a Friday and devour  one of Brisbane’s best hamburgers. It’s a small thing but I looked forward to hitting my goal.

• Embracing Imperfection: Redefining Success in Writing By Conquering 30 Years Of Procrastination 

  Most writers write novels round 60 – 80,000 words. In my writing group many participants would post on Facebook how they wrote 5000 words that day or they just finished an 80,000 word novel.

  I often felt deflated as I was doing only 1000 words a day and my books were short – 10-20,000 words. They were clssified as short stories to novellas.

  But I learnt to block out the noise and stick to my strenghts; Icould write short books.

  By being consistent I was able to publish 17 short reads in 12 months. Todate I’ve had 13 x #1 Amazon bestsellers.

• Looking Ahead: A New Chapter Unfolding

  I believe the world needs more stories. An opportunity to escape from a world of troubles. I’ll continue to do what I enjoy and do best – write short books. I may expand that into non fiction work. I’ve dabbled in getting my books made into film especially a television series.

• Conclusion: From Procrastination to Progress

  I’m glad I’ve conquered 30 years of procrastination. Writing has given me the freedom to express myself and create a new career in a new world. It’s marvellous!