Do It First

Do the things you are mostly likely to make excuses not to do first.  For me, that's the treadmill, or really tackling the book I've increasingly committed myself to write.  But the treadmill session is far easier to put on a schedule and do it at a set time, usually around 8:30AM on scheduled days.  I don't especially like to stretch either.  That comes at 4PM on scheduled days.  Writing doesn't come as easy to schedule, let alone do first as a task to complete quickly.  My physical sessions get checked off as accomplished, those one and done's.  Mental tasks don't unless I have a submission deadline, which I don't for this landmark work that I want to do.

I have friends and relatives with books to their name, some more than one.  Nearly all my humanities professors have authored books.  And I read articles daily, and about six full books each semi-annual cycle.  So I know it is doable.  And like anything else doable but difficult, specific time needs to be allocated for it.  I've also told a few people of my intentions, which should place my feet a little closer to the fire on getting it done.

Do it first, or at least at a set time.  Pretty successful with exercise.  Reasonably successful with daily reading of The Atlantic-The Forward- TED talk which I target for mid-afternoon every day.  Furrydoc.blogspot.com has accumulated by daily effort each morning.  Hakaras HaTov log filling with entries five days a week.  And a weekly YouTube of Dr. Plotzker's Mind seems to be posted consistently nearly every Monday night.  And my Medscape column made it to the editor on deadline for years, though with the incentive of a contractual payment for performance.

I really want the book as my legacy.  I know how to go about it.  Now I need to go about it.