Ann has been struggling with finding time to write regularly. She wants to build this habit. The other day she mentions that she is writing and adds that she didn’t get as much done as she wanted to.
Barb has been feeling overwhelmed by teaching preparation. When she talks about it she says things like “I did a little bit of prep on Tuesday” or “I did some inefficient prep yesterday.”
Do you see what they did?
They both jump to judgement. I’m betting several people identify themselves as A or B. Maybe even A & B.
How does it make you feel?
- Does the work feel pointless?
- Do you feel like a failure?
- Do you wonder whether this is the job for you?
What if you focused on the positive?
If you focus on what you accomplished, you have something to build on. You feel good about yourself.
You don’t have to be all Rah! Rah! false enthusiastic. “Yay, I wrote for 15 minutes today!” sounds a bit cheesy.
Start by stripping out the judgement
When you hear the “but” in your own description, stop. Repeat the part that came before the “but” as a stand alone statement of fact.
- I wrote today.
- I prepared for teaching.
- I contacted that person I met at x conference.
- I found the contact details for the Teaching & Learning Centre.
Then add in some more facts. Be specific.
- 15 minutes
- 1 hour
- 200 words
- 4 PowerPoint slides
(No judgements! “A little” is relative. What does it really mean?)
Momentum can carry you
Recognizing the work you do each day helps you make a habit of doing certain kinds of work. A positive description builds momentum. Being specific about what you accomplished helps you be specific about what your next step is.
Every journey begins with a single step. What step did you take today?
Related Post:
Sometimes slow is the only way forward
Edited May 27, 2016
I do this ALL THE TIME without even realizing! It’s never “enough” according to my inner critic. Stopping now!
Brilliant and timely. Thank you so much!
Great post. I was thinking about this in relation to exercise goals and the same thing applies: I only ran for X minutes…instead of I ran! 20 minutes! I did it!
There should be something like the Couch to 5km program for academics–Write for 10 minutes day one, increase to 11 mintues day two etc, until one builds up a regular practice of writing for the goal amount of time X times per week.