Excuses for NOT Writing
It is easier to make an excuse than it is to do what needs to be done. I came up with a dozen today without breaking a sweat. But the excuses aren’t real. They are simply delusions that I create that hinder my writing success. Deb over at Freelance Writing Gigs reminded me that making excuses can be habit that we fall into but I should never let a few excuses stop my freelance writing success.
-
1. There’s too much going on. This is an easy excuse for me. I write in the middle of the house. We have three boys and two cats inside plus me and my husband. It’s rare that there is complete silence at any time of the day. It’s easy for me to tell myself that I can’t write because of the chaos but the truth is that the chaos is often the motivation for many of my posts.
2. It’s too late to get started. I AM an early riser and I seem to do my best writing first thing in the morning. It is not unusual for me to hit about 2 pm and decide that there is no reason for me to start writing any thing else because I’m just going to stop for the night anyway. I am breaking this excuse by trying to make myself write something in the afternoon and at night. Stretching my writing times is making this excuse harder to keep using.
3. Nothing is due today. It is easy to sit back and relax when I have a day with no deadlines. The problem is that eventually the deadlines DO come and if I keep putting off the work then all of my freelance writing comes due at the same time. Working a little here and there makes deadlines much easier to meet.
4. The weather is getting bad. I shouldn’t be messing with my computer when there is bad weather. My writing can wait until the storm blows over (unless it’s after 2 pm and then I’ll be taking off anyway). I now have a large battery back up AND surge protectors on my computer and on my fuse box. Besides, if I’m going to turn on the television then I can turn on the computer.
5. Someone else is on the computer. Not being able to write could be a legitimate excuse for not writing except that I could always write out some outlines on notebook paper or I could use the laptop or I could go through all the ideas that are stacking up in my folders There is plenty to do even if there is no place to do it.
There is always an excuse. I can take the excuse or I can take the success. In the end it is up to me to choose the path to successful freelance writing or to choose the path to nothing.
