Are you ready to overcome your obstacles to writing?
Last week, my lovely virtual assistant created a poll on Facebook and Instagram so we could see how folks resonated with the obstacles I listed a few weeks ago.
Based on our not-so-scientific investigation, the #1 obstacle to writing is PROCRASTINATION.
First, let’s distinguish between garden variety procrastination and a deeper kind of deferral. The former often involves housework or scrolling through social media or checking and double-checking your email. I like to compare this daily resistance to the way my dog circles the rug until she finds just the right spot to plunk down. The point is, you get to the work sooner or later. Sure, you’d like to get there sooner, and there have been reams written about creating better habits to get you there, (see below for a few references), but you are not avoiding the work.
Which brings me to the deeper issues around procrastination, which my intuition tells me is the true challenge. When procrastination is a more sustained avoidance, then it probably signals anxiety. Maybe you’re anxious that your writing isn’t good enough. Maybe you’re anxious that you’ll offend somebody. Or maybe you have that haunting feeling that there is an underlying “should” in your project and that it might not be the work that’s calling you.
But sometimes, avoidance is a red flag that something larger needs to heal before you can move forward, something harder to face than a persnickety habit. While it is true that writing is often a big part of the healing process, it is also true that sometimes you need to heal in another modality to feel free enough to speak your truth.
So hear’s my question for you:
WHAT’S UNDERNEATH YOUR PROCRASTINATION?
Write the question down somewhere and make space for the to come. Meditate, practice yoga, take walks, make soup. Trust the universe to deliver you deep wisdom, or at the very least self-awareness. And trust yourself to recognize it when it is revealed.