First of all, I want you to know that falling off track when writing your book, is a common problem and completely normal. It happens to most of us at one time or another. The most important thing is to get back on track as quickly as possible.
I have to tell you, the longer it takes you to get back on track, the harder it’s going to get. However, no worries, I’ve got you! Here are my favorite tips for getting back on track, no matter what you have fallen behind on.
#1. Start Right Now
Getting back on track shouldn’t feel like a difficult decision or something that seems like it’s looming over you. Trust me, by taking consistent small steps (I call them mini-milestones), you’ll get back on track with whatever part of writing your book you’ve fallen behind on.
So, start right now, and take at least one action step today – a mini-milestone – so that when you’ve finished it, you’ll be a little closer to your ultimate goal again!
The second thing I want you to do is to throw out all the excuses you’ve been telling yourself:
“It’s just not the right time”
“I have too much else to do”
“I’m just not feeling very good right now, I’ll get back on track when I’m feeling better…
And just do that one mini-milestone action step.
As soon as you’ve completed it, you’re naturally going to be experiencing positive emotions – pride, for getting back on track, motivation for being 500 words (or whatever your daily writing goal is) closer to finishing your book.
You’ll also feel relief that whatever old patterns started playing in your head, and stopped you – you worked past them! That is something to celebrate! And then, the sooner you keep taking positive daily action steps toward your goals again, the easier it will be to fully get on track and be headed in the right direction again.
#2. What is your writing space like?
To achieve any goal or build any new habit, your environment plays a big role in getting it done. If your writing environment is cluttered and messy and isn’t conducive to you sitting down and writing every single day, you may fall off track again.
Your writing space needs to be a place that you enjoy working in and can get your writing done.
It doesn’t have to be in the same place all the time. Maybe you’re not easily distracted by noise and people talking and espresso machines going off every 5 minutes.
Maybe you work better if you can be around people. If that sounds like you, try writing somewhere that’s NOT your home. The local coffee bar, a local library, or even at an outside table at a cafe, that overlooks the beach or the water.
If you’re not sure, try it once, and see if you’re able to concentrate with all the distractions. If that’s a little too much, try a different room in your house tomorrow.
Remember in the pre-learning exercise I had you do, I recommended you create a writing space that you felt comfortable and creative in? If you haven’t done that yet, or something has changed and it’s messy again, or whatever, one of the next things – after completing your writing action step – is to make your space ready for you, the author, to work in again.
Making your writing environment calm and serene, or vibrant and upbeat – it all depends on what type of space you work best in. So if what you were doing wasn’t working, try changing the vibe, and make it easier to get back on track.
This increases your chances of being more consistent with reaching your goal and taking daily action steps to write your book YOUR way.
#3. Understand Why You Lost Track in the First Place
Think back to the last time you were on track with your writing routine; what exactly went wrong? When did you stop completing the daily mini-milestone you chose? When did you begin skipping writing sessions, checking in with your accountability partner, or checking in our Facebook Group? Chances are, some very specific things happened, which caused you to step back from the goal you were trying to reach.
Try thinking back to when you fell off track, and work your way backward to the first time. Make a list of anything you can think of. Then, think about another time you didn’t achieve your goal. Write in your journal about it – remember, no one needs to ever see your journal but you. Do you see any similarities? That’s a good place to start looking at the limiting beliefs or fears you may have been experiencing.
#4. Don’t Aim for a ‘Perfect’ Re-Start
There is never going to be the perfect time to pick up your writing habit again. There is no perfect moment to start working towards your goal again. If you try to wait for the perfect, most ideal time to start, it’ll never come, and you’ll never start again. Go back to your daily mini-milestones, and start taking small steps today. Within a short time, you’ll be on your way to reaching your goals again, and you’re more likely to keep going this time!.
#5. Use a Brain Dump to Find the Answers
So, you’ve already done this once. But, if the reason you stopped writing was because of a lack of clarity – either you weren’t sure where to go, or you had too many ideas, or your book just wasn’t “sounding right”, you can try doing another brain dump. Only this time, look at what went wrong, and what your specific roadblocks are. This is where journaling can not only come in handy, it can help you to pinpoint the problem, so we can look for a solution. A brain dump is a stream of consciousness style of journaling where you write whatever comes to your mind. It can be about the reason you’ve been neglecting your writing, but it can also be about anything you have been thinking about.
Just put pen to paper and keep writing until you feel like you have released all of those negative thoughts and emotions and worries or fears. From there, you can look at what your reason was for writing your book in the first place, and where your priorities are. Then check-in with your highest power (or your muse, or Source) and sincerely ask if your subconscious picked up on any clues you hadn’t considered before. This is usually not a quick process. You may be writing for anywhere from one to three or four hours. But, really try it, because it can bring you total clarity that, for some reason, you didn’t understand before.
EXTRA TIP: Use Habit Triggers
Habit triggers are agreements, situations, or reminders in your life that make you think of a habit – like writing every day – that you need to complete.
For example, if you are trying to hit a milestone every day, you could paste post-it notes on your bathroom mirror, the inside of the front door, and the coffee machine or refrigerator, that say something like: “Have you finished your (insert number of words to be written) today?”
And on your computer, you could put a flashing sign that tells you to write today.
Or, if you’ve fallen behind, you could leave a note yourself to post on Facebook the number of words or how long you’re going to write today.
By stating it out loud and committing to other humans your daily milestone, you’ll feel more inclined to get it done.
These little triggers remind your brain that it is time to do something.
And, if none of these work, please send me an email, and you and I can talk, and see if we can figure out why you’re falling behind and find a solution. Or talk to your accountability partner, or post in the Facebook group if you’re in our 90-day coaching program. If not, email me, and we’ll figure something out. One of my mottos is, “None of my authors get left behind!”