3 STEPS TO ACTUALLY WRITING THAT BOOK/BLOG/WHATEVER...

STEP 1 FIND YOUR CUE

Train your mind by finding cues that set your brain into action mode. First, create various cues for your brain, such as a place, time, song or person. To start your project, set up a special writing spot free of distractions, writing at the same time every day for 15 minutes, or picking someone to brainstorm ideas on each chapter. After trying out each cue, you’ll notice which one makes writing feel easiest. Once you identify that...

STEP 2 SET A REWARD

Give yourself a payoff to motivate you to stick to your routine, like an episode of Modern Family, after you’ve completed each writing session. The key is to reward yourself no more than 15 minutes after the activity—so your mind makes the association between the habit and the payoff. Over time, the new routine will become almost intuitive, where the activity itself is enjoyable enough that you may not even require the reward—at least, not every time.

STEP 3 GO PUBLIC

But know this: there will be times when you have a bad day and you feel like you want to quit. That’s why it’s important for you to crowd-source some support, whether it’s telling your best friend or your hundreds of Twitter followers that you’re writing your great American novel or finally starting your blog. Research shows that the key to pushing through those moments of weakness is believing it’s possible. The best way to do that? Have other people cheering you on.