I've been feeling super unmotivated to work out recently.
The race I was training for got cancelled, and I've been doing typical heavy lifting (squats, deadlift, bench, etc.) for so long that it's getting old...
Normally in the past I would have probably just quit for a while, but having a coach has been super helpful.
We talked for a while yesterday and he mentioned we could just work on something completely different: gymnastic strength training type exercises.
It's not something I've ever trained before, but the idea of learning to do a freestanding handstand pushup sounds pretty cool, and it immediately brought that motivation back.
I feel like this can be generalized to a lot of good habits we get bored of.
I know I have this issue with reading sometimes:
I get bored of a book or category of books and then give up reading entirely for a while, when I should really just switch to a different book.
There's probably a good heuristic in there somewhere: when you're getting bored of something you've been doing a really long time (hobby, good habit, etc.) try to find a way to switch it up instead of quitting.
Going from writing non-fiction blog posts to writing a non-fiction book has been harder than I expected.
Here are 9 things I wish I had known before starting...
1/ Tweets and articles have ruined your internal locus of writing motivation.
When you get a rush of dopamine every day or week as the payoff for your work, it will be excruciating to go for months with none.
One option is to tell yourself to just be proud of your work and not need external validation.
But it's much easier to have a few trusted people who can occasionally look at things and remind you that yes, you know what you're doing, and no, it's not terrible.
I think making a conscious effort to spend as much of my day outside as possible (even while working) has done more for my day-to-day sense of well-being than almost any other change.
I’ve never written a novel before, but I want to this year.
So I’ve read ~10 books on the fiction writing process in the last couple of months.
Here’s the best guide to outlining an idea for a book I’ve found:
(From Conflict & Suspense by James Scott Bell)
1/ Start with your LOCK:
a LEAD character worth following.
an OBJECTIVE with physical, spiritual, or professional death on the line.
a CONFRONTATION with a stronger opponent (antagonist)
a KNOCKOUT ending that surprises & delights the reader
Write them all down on a notecard.
2/ A Disturbance and a Doorway:
Come up with a DISTURBANCE in your Lead's life that creates their Objective.
Then a DOORWAY OF NO RETURN through which they pass, leading eventually to their major CONFRONTATION.
Also called the CALL TO ADVENTURE and the THRESHOLD