It’s been another long, hot summer here in Western Australia.
Another few months of bushfires wreaking havoc around the state.
I have the hugest admiration for the people who turn out in the most extreme conditions to fight the fires.
How frightening it must be.
Yet I’ve heard it said that when the going gets tough, the tough get tunnel vision.
It’s referring to the training that takes over in emergency situations. Emergency workers of all kinds practise set procedures over and over until it becomes second nature. It’s what they focus on rather than becoming overwhelmed by the stress of the situation.
Being able to develop a singular focus is a powerful skill.
It’s something we can emulate when we feel overwhelmed by circumstances in our own lives.
I’m not comparing what we do with the potentially life-threatening situations faced by others.
But the feelings themselves might be similar: feeling that we can’t do this, we’re not up to the job, we will never be able to make our way through. Feeling that it’s all just too much.
That’s when we need our own procedures to follow. A way to keep to the path and make steady progress. Even actions that seem insignificant in the moment can add up to moving ahead over the longer term.
You can do it with five simple writing habits.
The five writing habits I teach help with focus, overwhelm and distraction.
They are habits you can lean on so you can be a better, happier and more confident writer.
They are to the habits I learned as a journalist and what I still follow to be effective and efficient in my writing.
Now I’ve put them into a one-page habits reminder.
You can download it to keep on your desktop. Print it out for a daily reminder of how to be prolific. Send it to a friend who could use it. The Habits are for us all so we can raise our voices and change the world.
Here’s to happier writing and content creation. Your voice matters.
Feel free to get in touch to talk about how I can help you. Email me, sherene@sherenestrahan.com
