Daniel Akst is the author of the book, "We have Met the Enemy: Self-Control in an Age of Excess." The Wilson Quarterly interviewed him about self-discipline. Here's what he said:
"What’s the secret? I’m afraid it’s partly genetic, but fortunately that’s not the whole story. If you want to do a better job in this arena, the short answer is that to control yourself you must control your environment. You must also enlist others. And you must transform the problem from one of willpower to one of skill. Find ways to commit yourself—irrevocably—to your desired behaviors. Raise the price of the behaviors you want to avoid. In short, treat yourself (as B. F. Skinner did) as a kind of lab rat on the self-management front, and you’ll be surprised at the success you’ll have."
OK, good, but what are these conditions and how can we create them. I'd include the following for writers:
* A place to write. It can be a tiny table in the corner of your bedroom, but it's important to have a place you associate with your creativity. If it's also a place you won't be disturbed, so much the better.
* A time to write. It doesn't have to be every day, but it helps if there is some kind of consistency.
* A way to record all your ideas no matter where you are. It can be index cards, a notebook, your phone, anything. Just don't let good thoughts get lost.
* A reminder of your goal. This can be purely imaginary (visualizing your book on the New York Times best-seller list) or an image or even a song or a motto. It's something to call upon when you get discouraged.
* A way of keeping track of your progress. This is especially important for long term projects like writing a novel, when sometimes it feels like it has no end. You can count words, or draw some kind of chart--whatever works for you.
* A way to get support from peers or mentors. Of course I recommend my online Writing Breakthrough Program (see www.jurgenwolff.com for full details) but there are other alternatives including writing groups (local or online).
Create the conditions for self--discipline and it will follow!
(I also ran this post on my screenwriting site, http://www.ScreenwritingSuccess.com.)
