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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » The Writing Life » Page 20

The Writing Life

Stop Procrastinating—Right Now!

By Bob Hostetleron July 13, 2022
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In my last post on this amazing blog (Steve Laube requires me to say that at regular intervals), I opined about seven consequences of procrastination. You may not have gotten around to reading it yet, but I promised in that post to follow up with some helpful tips or techniques for preventing procrastination. So, without further ado or delay, here are some ideas:

  1. Pray.

Of course, right? But seriously, pray about your procrastination. Pray for deliverance from procrastination. Pray for those who might be affected if you procrastinate. And so on.

  1. Make a list.

Several of the comments on my previous post (“I’ve Put Off Writing This Blog Post Long Enough”) mentioned the value of making to-do lists and keeping them handy. (Thanks, Deb Gorman and Andrew Budek-Schmeisser.) I use a bullet journal to list my daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual goals. (Yes, I am OCD; wanna make something of it?)

  1. Carry it over.

When you don’t accomplish something on your daily to-do list, copy it to the next day. And then the next. And the next. This is a good reason not to use a digital to-do app that does this for you, because the repetition and annoyance of repeatedly writing that same task can spur you to get it done, so you don’t have to keep writing it.

  1. Ask why.

Commenting on my previous post, Susan Brehmer said, “I review items left dangling on my to-do list and consider why I haven’t completed them yet. That often leads to a simple step to get started.”

  1. Exercise your faith.

Envision what it will be like when you complete the tasks you’ve been procrastinating. A deep sigh of relief? A sense of accomplishment? A break from the space it’s been taking up in your head? Renewed self-respect? You might go so far as to verbalize this: “When I finish ______, I’ll experience ____.”

  1. Break it down.

Are you procrastinating because the task ahead is intimidating? Too big? Too hard? Break it down into incremental steps, and place those steps in your schedule or to-do list. Remember, according to the old joke, that’s how you eat an elephant: “one bite at a time.”

  1. Bundle tasks.

Sarah Hamaker posted this comment on my previous blog post: “Bundling my least preferred tasks (like social media and marketing!) in blocks of time on a weekly or monthly calendar also allows me to both forget about those tasks and do them in a single block of time.” Pairing tasks you tend to procrastinate with those you enjoy (for instance, enlisting a friend to partner with in some of your least favorite tasks) can turn procrastination into anticrastination. (So sorry.)

  1. Schedule “sprints.”

Schedule a time and place for short bursts of focused attention on your most-pressing and/or most-often-procrastinated tasks. It’s easy to put off something when you have “all day” or “all week” to accomplish it; that can feel like a marathon. But if you tell yourself that you’re going to “sprint” for fifteen or thirty minutes in order to get Task A done, you might actually do it.

  1. Shut the door.

Never in history have we had more ways to allow ourselves to be distracted from the things we ought to do: phone calls, emails, text messages, Facebook, doorbells, YouTube, YouNameIt. But there are also ways to counter those things, by putting your phone on “Do Not Disturb” or “Airplane Mode,” for example. So take that thing you’ve been putting off, shut the door, silence everything, and don’t come out until the thing is done.

  1. Build in rewards.

If you’re as OCD as I am, checking off task after task (and thus moving them out of my limited brain space) is its own reward. If you’re not, promise yourself a commensurate reward for getting it done. A donut, perhaps. Okay, so it doesn’t have to be donuts. It could be a nap. A walk. A purchase. Even a sticker, just like in first grade.

I’m so glad to get this post written, I can’t even begin to describe it. So I won’t. Instead, I’ll check it off as “done” and head to the donut place.

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Category: Career, Inspiration, The Writing Life

When the Economic News Is Dire

By Steve Laubeon July 11, 2022
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Lately everyone seems to be talking about the economy (and not the pandemic). Inflation, the price of gas, supply-chain issues, a bear stock market, rent rates, health-care costs, unemployment, housing, etc. A common question within the writing community is how might this affect traditional publishing? I have a couple pennies to contribute to the conversation. (My two cents, which, due to …

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Category: Book Business, Publishing News, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life

I’ve Put Off Writing This Blog Post Long Enough

By Bob Hostetleron June 30, 2022
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I wear many hats (so to speak) as an author, blogger, game writer, speaker, literary agent, and man-about-town. People sometimes ask me how I get it all done. Usually I answer with something self-effacing, such as, “I’m just awesome that way.” But when pressed, I’ll attribute whatever productivity I have to careful organizing, scheduling, and—most importantly—maniacally avoiding procrastination. …

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Category: Career, The Writing Life

Count More Than Words

By Bob Hostetleron June 9, 2022
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Writers count words. That probably comes as no surprise to the readers of this blog, but still. Those who write for publication count words. It comes with the territory, as Professor Harold Hill might say (or sing). Writers-for-publication know that published articles, stories, and books in certain genres must meet certain word counts. For example, a two-page spread in a magazine is typically …

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Category: Inspiration, The Writing Life

Book Proposal Tips and Tricks with Ann Kroeker

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on June 7, 2022
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Book Proposal Tips and Tricks with Ann Kroeker If you want to be traditionally published, you need to attract an agent and a publisher. To get an agent and publisher, you need an amazing book proposal.  For an author, a book proposal is like a business plan and resume all in one. It communicates all […]
You can listen to this episode Book Proposal Tips and Tricks with Ann Kroeker on Christian …

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Category: The Writing Life

Book Proposal Tips and Tricks with Ann Kroeker

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on June 7, 2022
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If you want to be traditionally published, you need to attract an agent and a publisher. To get an agent and publisher, you need an amazing book proposal.  For an author, a book proposal is like a business plan and resume all in one. It communicates all the important information about you, your book, and […]
You can listen to this episode Book Proposal Tips and Tricks with Ann Kroeker on Christian …

Read moreBook Proposal Tips and Tricks with Ann Kroeker
Category: The Writing Life

Book Proposal Tips and Tricks with Ann Kroeker

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on June 6, 2022
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Learn how to write a book proposal that will attract the attention of agents and editors, in this interview with writing coach Ann Kroeker.www.NovelMarketingConference.com Support the show

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Category: The Writing Life

Could You Translate Please?

By Dan Balowon June 2, 2022
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What many U.S. Christian authors write about today has little or no application outside of the U.S. It’s why the majority of Christian books are not exported or translated into other languages. Most often it is not the theology holding it back, but the theme of the book. A simple example would be homeschooling. It is illegal in quite a few countries of the world. (Germany, Sweden, and many other …

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Category: Book Business, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life

What to Sell?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon May 26, 2022
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Recently I had a conversation with a friend who shared this trick question: What do you sell to your customer? What they want or what they need? I answered, “Hopefully, both!” The answer? Neither. You sell them what you have. Aha! Now to connect this question to the art of writing: If you have an outstanding project but are hesitating to submit your work to our agency, don’t. Because the market …

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Category: The Writing Life

Publishing in Generalities

By Dan Balowon May 25, 2022
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While agents and publishers accept book proposals because they contain a number of specific things they like, most book proposals are turned down because of a general reason. For example, refer to the “Who We Are,” section of this website. Each agent has a set of filters we use to focus our efforts. The filters reflect our strengths and/or personal preferences. Outside of these, we decline. …

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Category: Book Proposals, Career, Get Published, Inspiration, The Writing Life
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