Writing Tip Wednesday: Switch – How to Change Things when Change is Hard

Today I’d like to let you know about a self-help book, Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard, by Chip and Dan Heath. It’s not specific to writing; it will, however, help you achieve your writing goals. You can add it to your Goodreads To-Read list. This book will help you in all areas of life, including your writing/publishing, your day job, and even your parenting.

Let’s face it, change is difficult and it’s always easier to maintain the status quo. Whether it’s writing and publishing a book or washing all the dishes in the sink, or writing a blog post, it’s hard to get started. The authors of Switch argue that, in order to motivate yourself to do what you want to get done, you need to do two things:

1. You need to direct the rider, and
2. You need to motivate the elephant.

Here, the rider is the logical/rational part of your brain, the part telling you that you should do something, e.g. you should take a walk or be productive doing something (anything) instead of sitting on the sofa and watching Netflix.

The elephant part of the brain is the part attuned to the rewards (dopamine) system, the emotional part telling you that it feels good to do something (e.g., watch Netflix). The rider can be in charge for a while, but when there is a conflict between the rider and the elephant, the elephant usually wins, according to the authors of Switch.

To get something done, to change, you need to motivate both parts of your brain.

Organization and time management seems to be an area where many authors struggle, myself included, because (you think) that you need large segments of time to sit down and get your creative flow going. It’s difficult, though not impossible, to sit down and write for only ten minutes.

So here are some techniques from Switch.

Shrink the change. Break a huge project up into chunks. Tell yourself, today I will do one thing toward this project/initiative. The Switch authors suggest, for example, setting a timer for five minutes and doing everything that you can in five minutes’ time. If you want to clean the house, start with one task in one room. You can set a timer for five minutes and wash all the dishes that you can during that time. Or you can clear the kitchen table. By keeping the task small and achievable, you will get it done. If you think about the entire project (e.g. cleaning the entire house), then you (I know I do) become paralyzed with indecision and overwhelmed. By breaking the project into smaller chunks, you have a much better chance of accomplishing it.

As applied to your writing, tell yourself that today you will write 300 or 500 words. Then sit down and write them. Don’t tell yourself that you’ll write an entire chapter today or think about how you need to finish this book. Break the writing down into smaller blocks.

Preload decisions. This basically means get a headstart on tasks that you want to accomplish. I have trouble getting out of bed in the morning. I’m a night owl, not an early morning person. So I prepare the coffee maker, my lunch bag and work bag the night before. In the morning, I flip a switch to start the psychotic mood stabilizer, ugh, I mean, coffee machine, shower, eat breakfast and grab my bags as I run out the door.

When my alarm goes off in the morning, if I start thinking about all the things I have to do (prepare coffee, shower, get dressed, prepare my breakfast, pack my lunch, prepare my work bag,) I become paralyzed by a feeling of being overwhelmed. But if some of the tasks are already done for me, then it’s much easier to get out of bed.

As applied to your writing, take some notes on ideas for storylines and scenes. It’s easier to sit down and write when you already have some content. Take notes on your phone when ideas come up and transfer them to your outline or manuscript later. Even if you’re not feeling inspired, write something. Then go back the next day and edit it. Once you  get started, it’s easier to move forward.

Shape the path. Have a clear plan, with detailed tasks, on what you need to do in order to accomplish your goal. In my case, I want to make enough income from my writing so that I can write full-time. I have a list of tasks that I need to do in order to accomplish that, much of which is focused on writing books and building an audience and mailing list. Sometimes I write daily lists, i.e. here is what I need to do TODAY (not over the next week or month, but TODAY). I feel less stressed about forgetting what I need to do when I write things down.

For example, I outlined this blog post before I wrote it. I got as many thoughts down on paper as I could, then edited and completed it a few days later. It is much easier to edit/organize an article than to start from scratch.

Clarify instructions. This helps you in all areas of life, whether you’re an author giving instructions to your graphic designer or a parent trying to get your child to listen to you. The authors of Switch point out that sometimes defiance and opposition are actually the result of a lack of clarity or poor communication.

For example, if my boss tells me, “You need to be more responsible at work,” I have no idea what that means. I have no idea exactly what he/she wants me to do in order to improve. But if he/she tells me, “I need you to return all phone messages within 48 hours,” now I have a clear understanding of what I need to do.

If you tell your child, “You need to behave,” your child does not understand exactly what he/she needs to do. If instead you tell your child, “Please do not talk when I am talking,” that is much clearer. To get people to do what you want them to do, you need to be clear. Just because it’s clear in your mind doesn’t mean that it’s clear to other people.

Hope that helps! Please let me know your book recommendations on time management and getting things done!