My New Simple Technique to Publish Four Times More Stories
Traditional Advice Just Wasn’t Working
We all know the value of a day, one person’s 24 hours can inspire the world while most of us barely inspire a yawn.
We all know we have these amazing brains full of unused potential. Heck, some of us even believe we have these cosmic souls with potential beyond imagination.
We see and feel the potential pulsing through us, but to be a prolific writer means to click Publish.
We feel the emotions as story ideas materialize along the cerebral conveyor belt, so many are overlooked or even tossed into the reject bin.
Usually, the problem is that we’re distracted. Real world, life, family, friends, work and just trying to take care of these animal bodies we animate.
I’ve always wanted to be a more prolific writer, but I had to first identify the problem before I could reach the solution.
A Confession
I have probably 25 draft stories saved here on Medium, and when I start them I’m always in that flow state where I’m excited about what I’m writing and my heart and mind are having that certain sizzling synergy.
But then comes the distraction, a chime on my phone, and unexpected visitor, at work assignment out of left field. Whatever it is, my undiagnosed ADD-mind jumps to a new track and the story sits like an abandoned rail car.
But it’s not just distractions that interrupt my stories, it’s something deeper and more troubling.
My greatest obstacle, and what I now believe is the greatest obstacle of many, is trying to control the outcome of our art.
Who is going to like this article? Who is going to hate it? Will anybody even give a damn? Well I get in trouble for writing this? Will my friends think less of me? Can I impress my family with a pithy phrase?
All those questions are bulls***. They destroy the flow-state and cause us to write fake sentiments that crave a certain reaction. Worrying about outcome has interrupted plenty of good writing sessions for me, and I’m not going to take it anymore.
When we stop caring about what people think and focusing on the outcome of our articles, and we just write, well then it all works out, right?
Not so fast.
Knowing good advice and putting it into action are different planets.
It’s still too easy to procrastinate, to switch topics, to allow ourselves to be “distracted.”
I Had to F*** With Myself To Make it Happen
So if knowing my weaknesses don’t completely vanquish them, what could the answer be? How can I stop worrying about outcomes? How can I stop letting distractions derail my articles?
It turns out, I had to make a hard-and-fast rule.
First, I leave my home and office, and I go somewhere with an interesting atmosphere, or people moving about or anything just summons the flow of the universe to allow the writing to flow.
So, that’s it then?
No, we’re still not there. Being “out there” can lead to even more distractions. So going somewhere is only part of the equation.
The real rule is this: I can’t go back to back home until I publish an article.
So, I’m essentially homeless living in my car until I can churn out that article. I’m equating the publishing of a story with survival, if I want to go back to my home-office, to eat and drink and have a headquarters on this planet, I need to finish the article first.
Yeah, I can take a walk or even get distracted. But I still can’t go home until I’ve published.
Equating the publishing of an article with the basic need of having a roof over one’s head destroys distractions and worries about outcome. I don’t give a damn what people think, I just want to get home and eat that leftover pasta in the fridge.
Beyond “Reward…”
This techniques goes beyond the often recommended “reward” system, to reward myself for doing something good. Forget rewards… How about I can’t continue surviving life as I know it until I finish the article? It’s amazing how that gets the juices flowing!
Since I started this technique, I published four articles in the time I would normally publish one (if I was lucky).
That’s quite an increase in output.
I especially love how the urge to have a home outweighs concerns about what anyone thinks about my arrangement of letters.
Update: this article began my true path to success on Medium, one month later I began writing multiple viral articles. Here’s 2 stories on that transformation: