In the next few days, I’m starting my first project with a new company and a new client. It’s what I want. Because it will get me where I need to be. It’s a stepping stone.
It’s also so far outside my comfort zone that my brain is screaming, “Don’t do it! Don’t make us do it. It’s not too late! Just walk away!”
My brain has done this to me before. Sometimes my brain screams so loud that it talks me out of it and I do walk away. I’m left wondering how well I would have done if I had just sucked it up and ignored that part of my brain though. I’ll never find out because there often are not second chances.
I’ve tried similar projects. They were hard. I didn’t fail, because I tried. But I wasn’t happy with the results, and it is one reason I haven’t done it again. Even for me.
Establish the why
If you’re starting a new project, a new job, or anything else new, it’s important to know why you want to do it. If you’re scared, it’s equally important to know what you are afraid of.
In my case, I’m starting a new ghostwriting gig. It comes with a non-disclosure agreement so I can’t say too much about it other than it is ghostwriting fiction.
Why do I want to do this?
- I need to make regular income, outside of the money that I will make from writing here and writing my own books. It will take time to build up the income from the writing I do for myself. This job has acceptable pay, and it is a topic/genre that I like.
- I will learn a lot from working with this company. Their support documents and supporting team will be beneficial to me as a writer overall.
- I need the structure of working for a client.
Why am I afraid of this?
- Because it involved using skills that I have not used in a long time. I once worked in an office full-time. I utilized organization and time management skills (and I did it so well that I helped others in the office with it). It has been a very long time though and I feel like those skills have weakened.
- I will need to be focused. Focus has never been one of my strengths. It’s hard for me to even sit still and write an entire article without moving off the page sometimes. I will have to change that.
- If I can’t do this particular job for a client that will pay me money, how am I going to do this for myself? And it is something I want to do for myself.
Now that I know this information, I have to ask myself if reasons I want to do this are good enough to try to overcome the fears?
Deal with the fears
The answer to that question is yes. Overcoming my fears means that I will do something I’ve always wanted to do for myself. It means that I will earn money the way I want to. And ultimately, it means that I will have a significant chance at having the lifestyle I want to have in the next 20–30 years of my life.
That means I need to figure out how to manage those fears.
Organization and time management
I know that I have these skills. They are just weak at the moment. I have used them well in my previous job as a server. In fact, they are very important as a server. The difference is how I used them.
As a server, you juggle many things and you have to keep them straight in your mind. You can’t forget. You can’t write it down. Remember multiple things at once and get them done.
I also played an important role in managing an office. I was a receptionist in a large Canadian business. I made sure that people didn’t miss meetings. I made sure that everyone got the latest notes on staff meetings. I answered the phones and kept documents filed (both paper and electronic documents) in a manner that made it easy for me to find them later.
I have the skills. So, I just need to remember what I did and figure out what will work best for me now.
I’ve been working on my planning system and making sure that the tools I need are available and ready. I’m planning on buying some software for office management and I’m getting my filing system set up. Some of it is paper based and others will be electronic.
Focus
Focus has been something that has been challenging for me over the past 10 years. Looking back, I can see that it was a challenge for me when I worked in an office. As a server, focus was hard, but only if it was something I had to do for a lengthy period. I did great at staying focused when I was serving table for most of the day because my brain was constantly engaged. I never had to remember anything for long usually. Five things running around in my brain was normal — but I usually completed them within 10 minutes, and then there were five new things.
I lose focus when I have to do the same thing for extended periods of time.
My solution to this will be doing bulk things for brief periods of time. That doesn’t mean taking a break every half hour to look at Facebook. That’s where I usually lose it. Once I get on Facebook or Twitter, I get lost and distracted.
What it means is that I will plan to write for an hour at a time with five minute breaks between sessions. In those five minute breaks, that is when I will get up, stretch, drink a cup of coffee, or something else that doesn’t allow my mind to switch away from the task at hand too much. I will try to do three sessions at a time. They often call these Pomodoros or POMs.
I will schedule three sessions like this a day. In between them, I will schedule other tasks that I need to do. Social media (for work, not leisure), making graphics, and administration tasks will fall into this category.
I’ve also set up Cold Turkey blocker and writer so I am forced to stay focused for a specific period. My brain needs to practice staying focused. If my resolve is weak, I’ll use this software to help me strengthen my skills.
Evaluation
Each week I will evaluate how I am doing. I will stick with it for a minimum of three weeks and then see how it is working. If it’s not having the desired effect, or if I’m not feeling comfortable with what I’m doing, I will consider something else.
You never know if a plan will work until you try it. You don’t know what you are capable of until you give it a shot. And you don’t know what you can overcome until you give it your best effort.
Identify the reasons you want to do something you are afraid of doing. Then write down your fears. Finally, come up with a plan to overcome those fears. Finally evaluate and make changes as needed.
If I can do this, I know I can do anything. Sorry, when I do this…
