Do you feel distracted or stuck while writing your book?
I want to give this quick tip on how to get unstuck and to find the motivation to finish your book.
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A Tip to Keep You Motivated
I just finished an accountability call with my Author Audience Academy members. So I thought I would share with you an excerpt from that call. I got this question from one of my members today.
“I feel stuck. There are so many distractions. I really need to fully decide to complete this sooner than later. Do you have any motivational tips for completing my first book?”
She asked that question and so I want to share with you some tips that I thought might be helpful for you as well.
What I always recommend is to picture your target reader.
I want you to think of someone that you have helped personally in the past. Think of someone who had the transformation because of the things that you will be sharing in your book. Think about one person that had an amazing transformational experience because of what they learned from this content.
Then, I want you to write their name. And if you have a way to get their picture, maybe from their Facebook or a picture of you together, print off that picture and make that your motivation.
And then say this. “The sooner I’m able to finish this book, the sooner I’m able to help people just like (insert the name of that person) and I’m going to help so much more people have a similar transformation and have a breakthrough.”
It’s kind of like a vision board.
You could have a vision board related to your book. Have their face on there with your book cover. Do you have your book cover yet?
Ultimately, you just have to have butt-in-the-chair time. You have to schedule power hours or power days. For you, it may be a Saturday. You can say, “OK, every Saturday from here till then.”
Whatever your schedule is, you have to decide. Maybe you have to sacrifice an hour of sleep in the morning. Whatever you do, you have to make a commitment to yourself and to God. Put it on your schedule. Put it on your calendar.
If you don’t schedule it, it often doesn’t happen. So get it on your schedule. Say, “OK from this hour to that hour.”
Be relentless. Turn off your phone. Turn off notifications. Turn off Facebook, email, and anything that will distract you and just work on your book for that hour. You just have to be relentless.
You know what? A lot of times we will not be in a place where we are 100% sure of our decision. But there comes a point when you simply need to make the next decision so that you can move forward. You learn from it. And most of the time it’s not life or death.
You can change it if you need to. You can do something different too. You can edit it, or do something else.
Sometimes we’re just so afraid and fear paralyzes us. But when we simply surrender it to God and say, “OK, I am going to be a person that submits it to God. Once I pray about it and once I hear from Him, I’m going to move forward and take the next step; unless he simply says wait.” Sometimes God will say that. So you need to give yourself, sometimes, seasons of a little more rest.
Sometimes there is a season where you simply have to know. It’s kind of like running a marathon and you’re hitting the wall. You have to keep going, putting the next foot in front of the other and taking the next step. You know you’re tired and that it’s hard, but you know there is a finish line.
It’s coming up in just next few miles. Or maybe you’re still in the beginning of the marathon, or the middle, but know that it’s there. The finish line is there and you’re going to cross that finish line.
You’re going to be a finisher in Christ Jesus; in His strength, in His plan. You’re going to keep in step with the Holy Spirit. You’re not going to meander off and decide to go shopping in the middle of your marathon. You’re going to stay focused. And you will keep going.
Even if it’s slow and you have to slow down to a walk, just put one foot in front of the next. You’re making progress, every week. Even if it’s just one power hour you’re making progress. You are making the next step and doing the next right thing. You are making the next right decision. Just keep moving forward.
Do what you can with the information you have. Ask God for wisdom and He will give it to you.
Sometimes even when you know the decision to make, it still feels scary. Are you with me on that?
Even though you know, “This is the next thing”, it still feels hard and scary. Sometimes you still have self-doubt that can stop you from making that decision and just move forward.
It can stop you from putting yourself out there and asking for more beta readers or asking a few people to be on a prayer team. And it can stop you from putting yourself out there and asking for reviewers.
Many times we have not because we ask not. That’s what the Bible says.
The Power of Scheduling
We’re all human, you have to remember that. Sometimes you just need those downtimes. Do not beat yourself up because you’re not writing your book. Just put it on your calendar, schedule it and say, “This is my time.” Then you 
can do other things in the house for the other hours.
You should say, “OK, from 10-11 I’m going to work on my book and then the rest of the day I can do whatever.” You don’t have to be a drill sergeant every hour of every day. You just need to schedule the times that you are going to write.
You are going to work and make progress. You will get it done. Just really focus during that time and then you can do other things, goof off or do whatever you want to do.
For me, I love to create art now. So I can do that but I know there are certain times that I need to work. This will give you freedom to not beat yourself up. You will not feel guilty because you know that, “These are the times I’m going to do this.”
That’s the power of scheduling.
I’ve run half marathons and CJ’s done marathons. A lot of times it’s thru a city, so there could be shopping places right there on the route. You could get distracted and be like, “Oh, I want to go in and get something.”
But this is like getting back on track, on that course and cross the finish line. Even if you’re the last one that crosses the line, let’s be finishers. It doesn’t matter. It’s not a competition after all.
We’re not competing to see who can get it done fastest. We just want to glorify God with what He’s given us; that is what we are to do. That is what we have been created to do – to give glory to Him with our gifts and abilities.
We will not be able to do that if we don’t finish what we’ve started and what He’s called us to do.
Prayer for Motivation
“God, I thank You for today. I thank You for every person that is reading this blog. I thank You for their lives and I thank you for the gifts and abilities You’ve given them. Thank You, Lord, that You are doing an amazing work in and through them.
I thank You that today, You are bringing a renewal of our minds to each one of us right now. I know that I need my mind renewed on a daily basis – sometimes minute by minute. So, Lord, I pray right now that You would renew our minds with Your truth.
Lord, that you would give us the motivation, encouragement, and the courage to step forward and do the next right thing. Guide us as we make the next decision, put that power hour on our calendar, and keep all notifications and distractions off.
Help us do the things that You’ve called us to do and to stay on track in that marathon. Help us that we will not get distracted shopping along the way and to just keep our eyes on the finish line. Help us to do the things we need to, to stay encouraged and motivated.
Lord, I pray that You would help each one of us to be encouraged in You. Your yoke is easy and Your burden is light. So we know that if we’re striving, or something feels too hard right now, there may be a spiritual battle in that.
I pray that each person would have a breakthrough from anything that the enemy is bringing against them right now, in Jesus’ Name.
I pray that each person would be emailing their prayer team every week with specific prayer requests being covered in prayer, and I just pray for a breakthrough, in Jesus’ name.
I thank you for this, and we all say together, Amen.”
Thanks for joining me today. I hope that you were inspired by this message. Until next time!
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