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Hello, and welcome to this week’s WEN-zine nuggets.

Spring officially begins at 11:06 pm EDT this coming Tuesday. So how are those goals and plans you set in the depths of winter coming along? A couple of mine have completed or are doing fine; a few others not so much. But with best-done-by dates looming, revised planning is the order of the day.

It’s time to stop putting off projects I really want to do ... or (more likely) challenging steps within those projects. Time-change and season-change is a good restart time. And you may have similar challenges. So I’m sharing this method that came across my desktop this week. It’s not new, but may speak to you in a new, helpful way ...

1. Conquer Procrastination with the “One Small Step” Method

Have you ever stared down a looming task, feeling overwhelmed and powerless? You’re not alone. We all get stuck in the procrastination vortex, paralyzed by the size and complexity of goals. But what if there was a simple hack to break free?

Introducing the “One Small Step” method, your antidote to procrastination’s poison.

Imagine that crucial tech project or book manuscript swirling in your mind, triggering negative thoughts like it’s “too big,” “too vague,” or “too scary.” These self-doubts drag you down Procrastination Avenue, a one-way road to stagnation. The “One Small Step” Method is your detour.

Here’s How It Works

Pinpoint your Procrastination Culprit - Identify a project you’ve been putting off. Picture its weight upon you. How does it make you feel? Fearful, overwhelmed, incapable? Acknowledge those emotions, then...

Shrink the Beast – Instead of dwelling on the entire project, shift your focus to one tiny, doable action. What’s the simplest, smallest step you can take right now to get things rolling? Even if it seems insignificant, remember, progress is progress. For example, do you need expert interviews for your book? Then search for a list of appropriate experts you could contact about doing short interviews. That’s your one small step.

(I’ve been putting off uploading 50+ videos to a new platform plus changing all those links since January, and the old platform disappears this month. Monday night my small step was to locate the original videos – which had been hiding after a computer change a couple years ago. Now it’s on to the routine of uploading and linking x number per day until it’s done. I’m good at routines. Sometimes that first step can be a stumbling block.)

The Power of One – The magic lies in doing something, even if it’s small. Taking action boosts your energy, motivation, and sense of direction. Procrastination’s grip loosens, and you gain momentum.

(It’s true ... not only am I ready to tackle those videos, but I have new-found energy for the new info product I’ve been “trying to get to” – aka procrastinating on. Making even a bit of progress on one task or project does move general momentum downhill.)

Build Momentum, Brick by Brick - Each completed Next Action becomes a stepping stone. Celebrate them. As you conquer these small wins, the project doesn’t seem so daunting anymore. You’re building momentum, brick by brick.

2. Collecting what’s owed you

Having trouble collecting on a past-due invoice? Jennifer Gill, writing for INC. magazine, says to find out who the best person is to talk to about the invoice. It might not be the editor or the creative director. And the bookkeeper may not be the one who signs the checks. “Ask to speak to the individual holding the purse strings, whether it’s the accounting department manager, the chief financial officer, or the business owner.”

3. Do you own Content Maximizer Guide? ... Here’s the sales page ... Prefer a shortcut right to the shopping cart? Go here.

I’d love a blurb on how you’re using it to get more mileage out of your content inventory ... just hit reply to share.

4. FYI items

▪ Jane Friedman’s next Business Sermon (free!): Reduce Your Writerly Anxiety

Sunday, March 17, 3:00 pm Eastern Time (US and Canada). Register here even if you cannot attend live, so you will receive replay notification.

▪ Tree.fm - Tune Into Forests from Around the World

Looking to escape into nature, right from the confines of your digital device? This site presents recordings of woodlands and forests from around the world, curated by an English collective called Wild Rumpus. Click through images of lush forests and hear native environmental sounds in this open source project. (Shared yesterday by Terri Lonier, SOLO, the newsletter for solopreneurs)

▪ Authors! The Quick Book to Business Method: Turning Your Book into an Ongoing Revenue Stream, by Ellen Finkelstein and Connie Ragen Green, is a free Kindle selection today: https://amzn.to/43h7sw8

▪ Joseph Michael, aka The Scrivener Coach, offers a helpful PDF: The Ultimate Writing Project Planner. Download it free in exchange for your email. (If you don’t want to be on his email list, you can cancel at any time.)

Enjoy!

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To Your Writing Success,

Dana K Cassell

Editor

(Dana Cassell is founder of Writers-Editors Network, and has been freelancing/creating full-time for 47 years. In addition to writing, editing, and fact-checking for numerous business clients, she has published more than 2,000 articles and has ghosted or authored more than a dozen books.)

Not a Network member? Join now: https://freelancekeys.com/join-now/ Temporary discount codes:

Save $10 on Basic options: use TESTING coupon code

Save $15 on FFWA options: use TESTFFWA coupon code

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