Thank you so much for signing up for my blog (again.)
I’ve wanted to update my blog for a long time, but I procrastinated most of the year. I finally set a deadline, made a list that had a deadline for each item, and focused hard to meet each deadline. It worked, and my new, self-hosted blog is live.
We all know that deadlines are easy to ignore. How did I create a deadline that was sticky? I leaned it up against another deadline, like a standing domino.
November 1st is the start of National Novel Writing Month. It’s my favorite event of the year, and it takes a lot of my time. I started NaNoWriMo at midnight during a virtual write-in, so other projects needed to be done before then. By leaning my blog deadline against the start of my NaNoWriMo deadline, it motivated me to get it done.
Perhaps this could work for you. If you’re going on vacation, why not create a deadline for a project that ends just before you leave. Or if you know you’ll be super busy during the holiday season (whichever holiday you celebrate), create a deadline that ends just before Thanksgiving.
I’m doing that right now. I plan to start a Footle & Grok podcast on December 1st. I have friends coming for Thanksgiving, so I’m going to make my podcast preparation deadline the Tuesday before. That gives me a month to get it ready and a reason to follow my list.
Big plans need big deadlines, and sometimes those deadlines need something to lean on. Try out this domino effect, and see if you finish your projects.