NaNoWriMo – Day 2

On Day 2 of NaNoWriMo, I wrote 1743 more words, so I’m at 3439 words for my novel so far. Today I’ll pass 5K words. While the challenge is technically to write 50K words in 30 days, I’m framing it as a daily commitment to write at least 1667 words per day. So I’ll surely end up with more than 50K words by the end. My approach is less flexible since I won’t be taking any days off, nor will I reduce the daily quota based on my ongoing word count. It’s easier for me this way since I’ll never let myself fall behind, so I’ll avoid the trap of having to write thousands of extra words to catch up later. Today is Day 3, and some people are already feeling behind because they didn’t write much on the first two days. I’d rather always feel like I’m ahead for the rest of the month. I’m ahead in my word count now, and I’m going to pad my lead each day going forward. I will never be behind, only ahead. As I’ve noted many times before, you win a 30-day challenge before you start Day 1. It’s all in the early game. I’m well aware of the tricks and traps my mind will succumb to if I don’t frame and approach the challenge correctly, so I remove the riskiest excuses in advance. Sometimes that means being extra strict, but there’s a hidden ease and lightness in that strictness that many people overlook. I also feel compassion for my future self, so I won’t to burden him with...
Source: Steve Pavlina's Personal Development Blog - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Lifestyle Productivity Source Type: blogs