Are You Creatively Constipated?

When I decided to go all in on my goals, I sat down and made a list.

A list of everything I needed to change in order to get the result I wanted.

I learned this from running. If you want to finish a marathon faster, there’s usually a few things you have to change — like how many miles you’re running and how much beer you’re drinking.

I applied the same idea to my business. After learning from successful entrepreneurs, I had a ton of ideas that I wanted to take action on.

Weekly emails.

A consistent social media presence.

A strategy to reach authors who had no idea I existed but definitely needed my services.

I tried to be comprehensive, and in doing so created a looooonnnng list. Seeing 50 or 60 items with empty checklist circles in my Notes app was intimidating. Having to scroll to read everything — or open it full-screen on my laptop — was scary AF.

All I wanted to do was pretend I was done and watch The Crown.

But then, I did what I do whenever I feel resistance. Find a way through.

I reviewed the whole list and created major categories. Content creation, for example, and everything related to my website. The list was still gigantic, but there were only 10 or 15 things in each category. I breathed a little deeper.

Then, the next thing I did — and here’s the revolutionary moment, y’all — is just delete shit off the list that I felt icky about or incompetent at. Like designing pretty opt-ins or affiliate marketing or helping people self-publish (sorry DIYers).

I deleted what I didn’t want to do. Which removed 10 ideas off my to-do list that I probably would have been crap at anyway.

Next, I made a list of what I felt incompetent at. And put up some job listings.

Authors often find me in panic mode, feeling like there’s a book idea inside of them, pushing to get out. But they have no idea how to actually execute on the millions of ideas circling in their brain.

The best way I can describe it is creative constipation.

And here’s the thing — you’re not going to get ANYWHERE in that mindset. You’re scattered, unfocused. The part of you that gets shit done is definitely not driving your car.

And frankly, you’re not going to produce good work in that state.

You’re NOT going to build a platform because your efforts will be inconsistent.

You’re NOT going to spend time on tasks you can fully commit to.

And you’re NOT going to invest in someone like me to help you.

Instead, what you’ll do is:

• Try to find every free resource out there

• Spend waaay too much time on social media comparing yourself to more established people and brands

• Struggle to find any kind of traction . . . .

• And just like you would if you were constipated somewhere else, you’ll wait forever to take action and then the solution WILL be more painful.

Don’t do that to yourself. Instead, let all those ideas out. Relieve your creative constipation.

Make that gigantic list.

And then chunk it down into what you want to do, what you’re good at doing and what you can hire for. Then let the rest of that shit go.