Latest / The Daily Writer / Feeling Stuck? Use the Snowball Method

Transcript

Feeling Stuck? Use the Snowball Method · The Daily Writer

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Hey my friend, welcome to The Daily Writer, where we help writers become authors of their own lives.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: I bet there's at least one big project that you've been wanting to get to for a while now.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: Probably, if I were to guess, you've been turning it around in your mind for months, maybe even years, perhaps.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: But it feels so big, so daunting and imposing that you're paralyzed by indecision on how to even get started on this big project.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Now, what could this big project be?
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: It could be something like a website redesign, it could be writing the first draft of your first book or your next book, it could be starting a podcast, it could be restarting your email list, it could be planning an event of some kind.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: Whatever it is, it doesn't really make any difference because if you're stuck, the result is the same, which is you're having trouble getting momentum.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: And if that describes you in a project that you're thinking of right now, I encourage you to use what I call the snowball method to help you make some progress.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: Here's how it works: take the smallest possible action today to get started.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: And it's really that simple.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: The goal of taking the smallest possible action today is to overcome fear, get reoriented to the project, and do something tangible that moves the ball forward on the project.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: Because when you take a small action toward a big project, it starts out as almost like a tiny bit of snow.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: But as you keep taking action, it grows into something more substantive, just like a snowball that's speeding down a mountain gains momentum and it gains mass.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: And before long, it becomes not just a tiny snowball, but it becomes something much, much larger.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: To use the examples that I mentioned above, if you're doing something like a website redesign, here's an action you can take.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: Email three friends and ask about their recommendation for a website designer.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: Let's say if you're working on a book, write down a few sentences about who the audience is for the book and what the purpose of the book is.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Now, by the way, if you're starting a podcast or planning an event, you can actually do that exact same thing and that'll help you get started.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: Write down a few sentences about the audience and the purpose of whether it's a book, a podcast, or an event.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: If you're doing something like restarting your email list, jot down three things that you want to say in that first email.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: The point here is not to overthink it and just to take some quick action to help you get started.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: Basically, what we're doing here is we're putting into practice the old saying that says, How do you eat an elephant?
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: You eat it one bite at a time.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: And that first bite is always the hardest one to take.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: So, whatever big project you've been putting off, take that first tiny action as soon as you possibly can and do it today before you go to bed tonight.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: You'll be amazed at how good you feel.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, thanks so much for listening.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: Keep writing, keep showing up, and I'll see you tomorrow.