This is my version of the Chain Method which consists on the analogy that makes you feel your daily productive and challenging tasks as if they hooked up as a chain. As you maintain your daily productive activities you need to keep the chain connected.
I was introduced to the idea of the Chain Method from Cal Newport by his book Deep Work I finished last month.
On the seventh day I quit the challenge for the feeling of laziness and with the feeling of confident to be able to come back at any time for it.
Reading about the deliberate practice and great performers who could achieve the largest ranks in their fields using I motivated me to apply deliberate practice to writing field to enhance my ability to write.
Since I already applied the concept without even knowing anything about it on many times, I am now ready to start applying it on a more solid land.
I remember when I decided to write every day and how it helped me enhance my writing capabilities in both Arabic and English languages.
The only problem that I get to doing something for a while, feel the happiness of being able to do it, celebrate that feeling then just quitting it before reaping the fruits of my success if I just could be more consistent on what I am doing.
Just as in the NaNoWriMo challenge I made last November for only six days, I was completely convinced that I could do the same action and have the same results at any time I like to.
But the reality is that you never make it to do something unless you feel urged to do. Challenge makes keeps you being motivated to your highest levels of performance.
Chris Guillebeau, James Clear and many other writers state it. You need to have a stable schedule for writing.
You must NOT depend on the bursts of feeling creative of motivated. Waves of inspiration should NOT be your main source of productivity.
Professionals have a schedule while amateurs rely on coincidences of life to motivate and inspire them and then get them to produce what they are to produce.
Then I thought to myself that the first action I should make to practice deliberately is to start writing daily with a preset goal of works.
Chris Guillebeau makes writing thousand words a day his primary goal. While James Clear makes his schedule to be posting a new blog post every Monday and Thursday.
Yesterday it became to my mind: if I could write 1600 words a day for six days on a row in last November why don’t I just start it again.
And I know, as every time I say to myself: this is going to last for long time but this doesn’t happen. I quit quickly after I see any light in the process and celebrate.
But what I told myself this time is that I wanted to record how much I can write eve day and keep with it. While monitoring how much I can keep the whole process each month.
I mean than if I start on the beginning of the month how much will I be able to keep my words to myself and to all my audience and write those 1000 words daily?
The best time to plant a tree was a twenty years ago. The second best time to do it is today…
So instead of waiting to the beginning of the new month I’ve decided to start writing today and keep record of my progress just as NaNoWriMo did for me on the November.
I really enjoy writing a lot. I’ve heard that deliberate practice is mind consuming process and it can get painfull sometimes.
And that’s exactly what happens to me while writing or at any other field of practice.
Just monitor yourself and keep tracking what you do mindfully. You may enjoy doing something as a hobby or a side gig.
But if you want to elevate it to the next level of professionality, you need to do it on a schedule not when you are like to do it.
Think of it as a work.
You deal with your daily job in this way. Just ask yourself: If I got up every morning and wondered what I will do today. Will I go to work or I’m not going this day. I feel like not in the mood for it.
Does this really happen?
On the contrary, you get up every morning even if you have a bad mood or even if you feel sick or tired. Wash you face and get yourself to the road to catch up with your daily job.
Why don’t just apply this approach to your side gig or hobby to take it to the next level?
Do you really mean to make something professional or you know that you want to keep it as a hobby?
You need to be clear and honest to yourself
If you want to keep it as a hobby that’s fine, keep it that way. But if you want to shift to be a professional in a specific filed you’ve got to act just the same way you do with your job.
Work for yourself as much or more as you work for your boss
Only if you work for yourself and the thing you are capable of here is where you can find the outcome you are expecting. Failure to do so makes you trapped in the circle of misery.
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