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| Learning from Mummy? |
When I started my course I was super keen and flew through the first 6 chapters submitting my assignments like a 15-year old delivering papers without getting off his bike…
And then, suddenly, I stopped…I haven’t lost interest, quite the opposite, I’ve been reading lots of relevant content on blogs and of course Twitter. However, my beautiful study plan has gradually slipped and slipped until this week I am in danger of getting behind for the first time.
So, what’s changed?
I’ve been busy
Busy dealing with Toddler bedtime problems, busy organising a friend’s hen do, busy cooking, busy cleaning, busy ironing…Busy, busy, busy. So busy, in fact, that I couldn’t find time to sit down and start the next chapter.
Until one day Hubbie said, “It’s almost like you’ve gone off the course!”
I happened to read Seth Godin’s blog post "I didn't have time". Put simply, the premise is that it’s often not that you don’t have time, it is that you would rather spend your time doing something else!
This struck a chord with me.
It occurred to me that, ‘rather spend your time doing something else’ doesn’t have to mean you want to do ‘something else’, it could just mean that for some reason you don’t want to do the thing you should do.
I realised Seth was right. It’s not that I couldn’t possibly make time to study Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) & keyword research. After all, it really wouldn’t hurt us to have a ready meal one night a week, and Hubbie was happy to take over toddler bedtime duty every so often. It was that I was bogged down with thoughts that this section was confusing and difficult, and would require a bit of ‘getting my head around’, and therefore it was easier not to try and start.
It was easier to do 'something else'.
Taking this a step further, I realised that sometimes the reason that we don’t make a change to the way we do things is that it is less effort not to. It is less effort to keep doing all of the chores, and complaining about how there is no time, than it is to rearrange things to fit it all in.
Can you relate to any of this?
As demonstrated by Toddler in the quote above, it wasn’t that he was busy, it was just more effort to get up and put his shoes on than it was to carry on playing! After all, as humans, we naturally tend towards the easy route, the path of least resistance.
Fortunately, avoidance and laziness are fairly easy to do something about…As long as you recognise that it is this that is getting in the way, NOT unloading the dishwasher.
How to make time
If you are struggling to find time do that job or task, find 5 minutes (It’s ONLY 5 minutes, go with it!), sit down with a piece of paper and a pen, and answer the following questions:
1. What is the thing I should be doing?
“Study chapter on SEO & keyword research.”
2. How long will it realistically take to do this?
“4-5 hrs.”
3. What reasons have I been using for not doing number 1?
“Problems with Toddler bedtime
Taking too long to cook meals – evening gone
Too much ironing
Cleaning needs to be done”
4. Am I looking forward to doing number 1? Like, really, truly, do I want to do it?
“I am looking forward to being able to do it or having done it, but am a bit nervous about it as I think I will find it hard and confusing. It is a very large subject.”
5. Is there anything that is worrying me about doing number 1?
“See number 4.”
6. Taking each item in turn from number 2, how could these possibly be addressed in the short term?
“Hubbie happy to cover bedtime issues for one evening (gain 1 ½ hrs)
Ready meal once per week? (gain 1 hr)
Too much ironing (do whilst watching Friday night film? Gain 2 hrs another evening)
Cleaning needs to be done (Get a cleaner? Longer term possibility – no short term gain)”
By breaking it down, you will end up with an understanding of why you are avoiding the task, and better still, a plan of how you are going to tackle it.
You may realise, like I did, that it is mainly because you are worried it will be difficult or you don’t know where to start rather than the fact you are actually too busy. Or you may find creative ways to manage the tasks that you felt were getting in your way.
OK, this is only the first step to actually getting the work done, but mentally it is a full flight of stairs.
Following this exercise, I forced myself to forego the ironing and study for an hour while Hubbie was watching the football last night. And I actually felt a lot better. By breaking the chapter down into bite-sized chunks it was a little more manageable, and alright I didn’t finish it, but getting started is often the hardest part…
Maybe if I can find the time I’ll write a blog post on SEO and keyword research to check my understanding of what I’ve learnt.
Then again, I probably ought to clean the bathroom…
Then again, I probably ought to clean the bathroom…
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Wondering how it all started? Read my first post: CA – Copywriters Anonymous
Follow my #copywritingjourney on Twitter: @weenixlen
You could be talking about my life!! There's been so many times lately when I've blamed my lack of motivation to market my business on things like "The little ones wouldn't go to bed early" or "I had too much housework to do!"
ReplyDeleteOnce you start looking at it from a different perspective, you see that everything is just an excuse for not doing things because they're hard. And usually, once you get started, you discover they're not that hard actually, and you did have time to do them after all.
Sorry about the rambling comment - it's Friday afternoon!
Thanks for writing this post! :)
You've perfectly summed up what I was trying to say, and your comment has actually been quite timely in reminding me that I, too, ought to be listening to my own advice! Thank you for taking the time to write.
DeleteP.S. Little ones are quite a handy excuse for a lot of things, though, aren't they?! ;-)