Very interesting theory, that of accountability. I too have been my own cheerleader for years. I work well with a reward system - almost instant gratification. Type 4 letters and then play backgammon online. Do the dishes and then play in the yard with my puppy. Go to bed in good time so I can read for a while. No one else really cares when or what I do or how I do it as long as it is done. Sweetening the pot like Olive did is a great motivator. Run TO somewhere. Exercise to Seinfeld. Have a favourite snack while writing. It is these bargains with ourselves that get the tedious stuff done.
“ I needed to imagine they were waiting impatiently for my words.”
But I am… ♥️♥️ maybe not impatiently, but it seriously improves my day when the Substack notification pops up on my phone. Except then I feel the pressure to craft you a solid comment. Because if I’m gonna put it here pressure on you to write by subscribing, you deserve a solid comment. 🤣
Those are both such fantastic ideas. You reminded me that one of the times I was most successful with new years resolutions was the year I adopted a new habit every month, instead of waking up January 1 and trying to do everything all at once. I love the reminder to acknowledge all the positive things you are already doing, too! It's so easy to always focus on where you can make improvements.
Before you started this sub stack thing I was like ‘what the heck is Mady up to these days- I miss her witty words and humour so much’ and then Boom - there you were again. I truly look forward to your perspective and find your courage to share both terrifying and inspiring. If you need accountability consider this me telling you to write your damn ass off so I can procrastinate just a little more over here please!
You probably already know how much I struggle with doing things for myself vs. external audiences, and it confuses me too because I feel like such a true introvert that usually other people are much less prominent in my life/awareness than my own little brain. And yet!
This really helps me rewire my acceptance of doing things as a challenge. Even in writing "just for myself," I still had to turn it into an external accountability challenge to try to get myself to do it.
The idea of taking care of a borrowed body for someone else is soooo intriguing (and very sci-fi!). I wonder if it would work for creativity. What if I pretend all my stories are someone else's great ideas and I have to ghostwrite them? .... Maybe? Yes? No?
"This is the little war I fight most often: The self that thinks I should be able to do everything by myself versus the self that knows that human beings were never meant to go it alone."
This rings so true for me! So grateful you are sharing your writing again. I am no good at putting things into words and so value someone who can do it for me!
Dear Madeleine, I can relate so much, thank you for the text and the freeing conclusion “If it works, does it matter how?”! And also: I am always so happy when the Substack notification pops up, thank you for having started writing again! Warm greetings from Fribourg in Switzerland.
Very interesting theory, that of accountability. I too have been my own cheerleader for years. I work well with a reward system - almost instant gratification. Type 4 letters and then play backgammon online. Do the dishes and then play in the yard with my puppy. Go to bed in good time so I can read for a while. No one else really cares when or what I do or how I do it as long as it is done. Sweetening the pot like Olive did is a great motivator. Run TO somewhere. Exercise to Seinfeld. Have a favourite snack while writing. It is these bargains with ourselves that get the tedious stuff done.
You have always been so great at self motivating! Maybe a leftover practice from raising six kids and having no choice but to just get things done?
“ I needed to imagine they were waiting impatiently for my words.”
But I am… ♥️♥️ maybe not impatiently, but it seriously improves my day when the Substack notification pops up on my phone. Except then I feel the pressure to craft you a solid comment. Because if I’m gonna put it here pressure on you to write by subscribing, you deserve a solid comment. 🤣
I love your comments! It always makes it feel so much less like im just sending these posts out into the void!
I can relate completely to every word.
I set a challenge to do one thing I should be doing each month until it became a habit. Also I made a list of all the good stuff I am doing already.
Those are both such fantastic ideas. You reminded me that one of the times I was most successful with new years resolutions was the year I adopted a new habit every month, instead of waking up January 1 and trying to do everything all at once. I love the reminder to acknowledge all the positive things you are already doing, too! It's so easy to always focus on where you can make improvements.
Before you started this sub stack thing I was like ‘what the heck is Mady up to these days- I miss her witty words and humour so much’ and then Boom - there you were again. I truly look forward to your perspective and find your courage to share both terrifying and inspiring. If you need accountability consider this me telling you to write your damn ass off so I can procrastinate just a little more over here please!
You probably already know how much I struggle with doing things for myself vs. external audiences, and it confuses me too because I feel like such a true introvert that usually other people are much less prominent in my life/awareness than my own little brain. And yet!
This really helps me rewire my acceptance of doing things as a challenge. Even in writing "just for myself," I still had to turn it into an external accountability challenge to try to get myself to do it.
The idea of taking care of a borrowed body for someone else is soooo intriguing (and very sci-fi!). I wonder if it would work for creativity. What if I pretend all my stories are someone else's great ideas and I have to ghostwrite them? .... Maybe? Yes? No?
"This is the little war I fight most often: The self that thinks I should be able to do everything by myself versus the self that knows that human beings were never meant to go it alone."
This rings so true for me! So grateful you are sharing your writing again. I am no good at putting things into words and so value someone who can do it for me!
Dear Madeleine, I can relate so much, thank you for the text and the freeing conclusion “If it works, does it matter how?”! And also: I am always so happy when the Substack notification pops up, thank you for having started writing again! Warm greetings from Fribourg in Switzerland.