How to Develop a Consistent Writing Habit

The most important quality in a writer's life is consistency. Consistency is the key to successful writng. Writing is like caring for a baby. You can't stop taking care of a baby for two weeks all on a sudden. You can't then restart the next week when you are fresh and relaxed. That's not how you care for babies, and that's not how you write. Writing is exactly like taking care of your baby. It is diffifult, time consuming, and needs dedication and consistent loving effort.

Image from here

 

So how do writers manage their daily lives along with writing? that is a question to ask. In fact, if you want to write full time, you need to understand the meaning of the words 'full time'. Full time means all the time you have. That is all your waking hours, that may, and generally does eat into your sleeping hours. In short, a full time writer may not get time even to sleep. Eating, bathing, brushing, washing, cleaning, having a relationship and raising a family suffer. Oh yes, forget all that. You may not have time to have sex! Wouldn't that summarise this discussion in a single sentence? It does, provided you like it.

But, this need not be the case with everyone. For some people, writing comes as natural as hunger and thirst. Blessed ar such writers. The natural ones. They only need to sit at their desks, and take a pen. Writing happens spontaneously. Ah! How wonderful would that be! Unfortunately, such writers are born only once every bluemoon. That is why we have only one Shakespeare, one Márquez and one J.K. Rowling in the entire human history. We can try to be like them. There is no guarantee that we can ever be like them. In fact, that is the beauty of life. No two of us are alike. I may produce excellent fiction. But I may never become as popular as Márquez is.

Thus, as writers, we have to keep writing. We must not get desperate about not completing the daily quota of pages. It is not in completing quotas that we become writers, but in having consistency. Like taking care of a baby. Everyday, every hour, every minute, your stories must continue to live in your minds. That is the secret. Nothing but that is the secret.

So, here are a few tips you can use to be consistent as writers.

• Make a schedule. At least a loose one.
• Make to-do lists.
• Maintain a journal (online/offline)
  

Image from here

 

Now, to write with consistency, make sure you have a place, a time, an attitude, and peace of mind. The following are some tips.

1. Say no to distractions

Keep distractions away. Don't sit in the street. Don't sit among ten 5-year-olds and try to write about meditation. The essence, is find a peaceful, distraction-free place to write. Keep your cell phones away. Keep your family behind the door. Keep your pets away. Keep only your pen and book, or your computer with you.

2. Use a timer

Decide to write for 30 minutes every day. So you know you have to write only for 30 minutes, and not 25 or 35 minutes. Sit down, write for 30 minutes and close the computer after 30 minutes. This gives you a sense of accomplishments and sense of completion.

3. Note down your accomplishments.

When you accomplish a milestone, do note it down in a book. Every week, look through your book to see your accomplishments. That will give you a sense of achievement

4. Create a habit

It is important to develop a clean and disciplined habit related to writing. It could be anything. For example, you might get up early and write for two hours before having your breakfast. Or, you would sit up late in the night and write for three hours. Whatever be it, you must make it a habit by forcing yourself in the beginning. Later, when it becomes your habit, you would naturally follow the habit, because it is your habit!

Conclusion

So here we are. Now we know what to do to be consistent in writing. How do you plan to develop your consistency? Please let us know in the comments. If you think we could improve this article by adding the tactics you use, let us know. We will include them. If you think some of the tips we mentioned are useless, let us know, we will include a warning with those tips.

Happy writing.

ഗാന്ധിജി: കുട്ടികൾക്കുള്ള പ്രസംഗം

എല്ലാവർക്കും എന്റെ നമസ്കാരം.

ഇന്നത്തെ എന്റെ പ്രസംഗം ഗാന്ധിജിയെപ്പറ്റിയാണ്. ഗാന്ധിജി നമ്മുടെ രാഷ്ട്രപിതാവാണ്‌. കുഞ്ഞുന്നാൾ മുതൽ നമ്മൾ ഗാന്ധിജിയെപ്പറ്റി കേൾക്കുന്നുണ്ട്. എന്നാൽ എന്തുകൊണ്ടാണ് ഗാന്ധിജിയെ നമ്മൾ ഇത്രയധികം ബഹുമാനിക്കുന്നത്?  അതിന് പല കാരണങ്ങളുണ്ട്.

ഒന്നാമതായി, ഗാന്ധിജി കുഞ്ഞുങ്ങളെ അധികമായി സ്നേഹിച്ചിരുന്നു. നിങ്ങൾക്കറിയാമോ കുഞ്ഞുങ്ങൾ അദ്ദേഹത്തെ ബാപ്പുജി എന്നാണ്  വിളിച്ചിരുന്നത്. കുഞ്ഞുങ്ങൾ ആണ്  ഇന്ത്യയുടെ ഭാവി എന്ന് അദ്ദേഹം വിശ്വസിച്ചിരുന്നു. 

Gandhiji

രണ്ടാമതായി, ഇന്ത്യക്ക് സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യം നേടിത്തരാൻ ഗാന്ധിജി  വലിയ ത്യാഗങ്ങൾ ചെയ്തു. കാൽനടയായി അദ്ദേഹം ഈ വലിയ രാജ്യത്തു മുഴുവൻ  നടന്നു. ജനങ്ങളോട് സംസാരിച്ചു. അവരുടെ പ്രശ്നങ്ങൾ മനസിലാക്കി. അദ്ദേഹം നമ്മുടെ കൊച്ചു കേരളത്തിലും  വന്നിട്ടുണ്ട്.

മൂന്നാമതായി, അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റെ ജീവിതം വളരെ ലളിതമായിരുന്നു. അദ്ദേഹം ഒരു മുണ്ടും ഒരു മേല്മുണ്ടും മാത്രമായിരുന്നു ധരിച്ചിരുന്നത്. രാജ്യത്തിന്റെ നന്മയ്ക്ക് വേണ്ടി മാത്രമാണ് അദ്ദേഹം ജീവിച്ചത്. ഇന്ന് നാം അനുഭവിക്കുന്ന  സമാധാനവും അദ്ദേഹത്തിൻ്റെ കൂടെ പരിശ്രമം കൊണ്ടാണ്  നമ്മുക്ക് ലഭിച്ചത്. 

അതുകൊണ്ട്, ഗാന്ധിജിയെ ബഹുമാനിക്കേണ്ടത് നമ്മുടെ കടമ മാത്രമല്ല, നമ്മുടെ ആവശ്യം കൂടിയാണ്. ഒരിക്കൽ ഗാന്ധിജി പറഞ്ഞു, "എൻ്റെ ജീവിതമാണ് എന്റെ സന്ദേശം". അതായത്, അദ്ദേഹം തന്റെ ജീവിതം നമുക്ക് മാതൃകയായി നൽകി. നമുക്ക് സാധിക്കുമോ? അത്ര സത്യസന്ധരാണോ നമ്മൾ? അത്ര നീതിബോധമുള്ളവരാണോ നമ്മൾ? ഈ ഗാന്ധിജയന്തി ദിനത്തിൽ അങ്ങനെയാവാൻ നമുക്ക് തീരുമാനിക്കാം.

രാജ്യം ഭരിക്കുന്നവർ സ്വാർത്ഥരാവുമ്പോൾ ഗാന്ധിജിയാണ് അവർക്ക് വഴികാട്ടി. പഠനത്തിൽ നമുക്ക് താല്പര്യം കുറയുമ്പോൾ ഗാന്ധിജിയാണ് നമുക്ക് പ്രചോദനം. തിന്മയെ തോൽപ്പിച്ച് നന്മ ജയിക്കുവാൻ  ഗാന്ധിജിയാണ് നമുക്ക് വഴികാട്ടി. നമ്മുടെ ചുറ്റും സ്വാര്ഥതയില്ലാത്ത, മറ്റുള്ളവരുടെ നന്മ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്ന, നല്ലവരായ മനുഷ്യർ ഉണ്ടാവാൻ നമുക്ക് ഗാന്ധിജിയെപ്പോലെ നന്മയിൽ ജീവിക്കാം. ഗാന്ധിജി നമ്മെ നേരായ വഴിക്ക് നയിക്കട്ടെ, നന്മയുള്ളവരാക്കട്ടെ. അതിന് ഗാന്ധിജി നമ്മെ അനുഗ്രഹിക്കട്ടെ. 

നന്ദി, നമസ്കാരം.

Is there a god?

Every time we plan to buy a pack of biscuits worth ten bucks, we look for the best brand. We choose the biscuit of our liking based on whether the manufacturer is trustworthy or not. I wouldn’t buy my biscuits based on recommendations of celebrity brand ambassadors. The same is the case when we buy cars or houses. For that matter, we do not spend a pie without properly knowing what we are buying. But as believers, do we every try to verify the authenticity of gods? Do we at least try to see if a god is real or not? Not really. No one tries to verify anything related to gods.

What is God? No one really knows. Where is god? No one really knows. Has anyone seen a god? No, no one in their normal senses has seen a god. Yet everyone believes in gods. Some believe in a unitary god, some in multiple gods. But irrespective of the type of belief, everyone blindly believes in some kind of god/gods.

The only proven way to verify the existence of a god is ‘spiritual’. I mean, the use of some pure spirit of sorts. Intoxication is a known resource that induces apparitions, messages, bliss, and nirvana. It is one kind of hallucination. Once in a state of trance induced by some sort of spirit, people will be able to experience, communicate and interact with the supernatural. Others do not EVER ‘experience’ god, but believe ‘blindly’ in that entity.

Picture from here

In my opinion, human beings postulated the concept of god because they were cowards and were afraid of taking responsibility of their lives. By ascribing the copyright of the world’s design to some unknown entity, humans conveniently transferred the responsibility for their own lives to a god. How funny is that! What is funnier is that even after so much cultural, scientific and philosophic advancement, humans continue to believe in this fictional character to be the almighty. I believe, the fault lies in our genes. Other animals don’t have this problem. Their genes are programmed to perform in certain ways where there is no scope for cartoon characters. From birth to death, they fulfil their functions and take full responsibility of their lives. They live beautiful lives. No fights, no wars, no jealousy and no sadness or madness. On the other hand, humans who believe in a supreme being fight wars just for the sake of their ego, and wallow in an ocean of their own tears.

What can we say? A world without gods would have been better? A world without gods would be more human? Whatever we say, the fact remains: that human believers are cowards. So, wake up. Take responsibility of your own lives. Be yourselves. Be human.

Family: A spring of peace

The end of my teenage wasn’t the easiest. It should have been good, because I scored well in my school, was a ‘good boy’ in general, and knew how to do many things like plumbing, electrical work and cooking. But, the end of my teenage wasn’t the easiest.

Image from here

When I was in high school, the family was caught in a terrible financial crunch. It did not happen all on a sudden. The incidents that led to the crunch began many, many years ago. In 1989, my grandfather passed away after a prolonged period of illness and hospitalization. My mother single handedly managed grandfather’s illness, grandmother’s routine, home, her husband’s and four children’s office and studies, and the rubber and coconut plantation. When grandfather was at home, she had to give him her full attention, and take care of grandmother who had Alzheimer’s disease. When grandfather was in the hospital, she had to run between the hospital and home, which were 23 kilometers apart. Only few buses plied that route, and she had to take two buses to reach the hospital or back. To this day, I don’t know how she managed. She must be given Nobel peace prize for keeping the family together.

After my grandfather’s death, grandmother’s disease intensified. She needed full attention till she passed away in 1991. Like grandfather, she was also hospitalized for a long time. By the time she passed away, my mother was worn out by taking care of everyone. We all supported and helped, but she was the one who bore the most. Even though he had 8 siblings, my father single handedly managed the expenses of treatment and hospitalization of both my grandparents. He educated all his four children, bought them books, magazines and other periodicals without letting us worry about finances. We lived an austere life, but his meager salary couldn’t bear all the expenses. By 1995, we were a half-broke family. We had loaned money from different sources to manage our expenses. And around that time, my eldest sister’s marriage took place. That had a heavy impact on our finances.

We stopped buying most vegetables and anything that looked like a luxury. We managed with tapioca, jack-fruits, mangoes, and leaves from our property. During these times, we cooked papaya in different forms- gravy and dry- not to feel that we were starving. My mother fed us and went hungry on many days, even after we insisted she shouldn’t do it. For years, we did not buy new clothes unless there were no spare. We tried hard to hold on to happiness in our lives.

By 1998, we completely ran out of resources. Debtors began to threaten us. There were police cases related to a bank transaction my father performed. People told us that he was cheated by one of our relatives. But till his death, he did not speak ill of anyone to us or to anybody else. He had to voluntarily retire from his job. All our income came to a sudden end. Though we had rich relatives, we had no one to turn to. Everyone thought that this situation came upon us because we lived an extravagant life. Some relatives explicitly told us that they ‘could’ help us to get out of debt, but they wouldn’t, since our problems are our problems alone! That hurt us more than the financial neck-break. So we decided to sell our house and property. Buyers knew our plight, and offered much less than the market value. Therefore, we sold everything. We bought and moved to a tiny, half-built house.

Photo by Hudson Hintze on Unsplash

It was bad on all of us. My mother who managed 2 acres of land and a big house had to limit herself to a small house and a 10 scents plot. Our financial problems were not completely over. My father was arrested because a debtor presented a signed cheque much before we could deposit cash in the bank. Some friends and neighbours helped us get bail and settle the case out of court. That was when we realized that friends, neighbours and even strangers were more helpful than blood relatives.

My father began working for a self-help group to support the family. Two of us brothers were in college, and my younger sister was in school. With limited resources, we lived happily, sharing whatever we had. As a family, we realized that peace and joy are much more valuable than material possessions. We lost everything because we gave it to and for others who did not bother to reciprocate. It looks foolish to be such permanent-givers. People called you losers. But the same people who called you losers would come back to you after they realized your value as a human being.

Those who had deserted us are now friends again. Some did it because they felt bad for themselves. But I would like to call that ‘remorse’. After my father’s death, some began fondly remembering him for the good things he did for them in secret. No one knew about his deeds but the benefactor and beneficiary. He did not hold grudge against anyone when he had to stand alone. So as his family, we do not hold grudge against anyone either. We are who we are, and they are who they are. It is not in our hands to amend anyone’s ways, except ours. So, life goes on. Peacefully.

The Importance of Being Punctual

Introduction

What do you think is the primary reason for success in your job? For me, it is punctuality. Being punctual is the key to being successful at any job.

Imagine you have a doctor's appointment at 9 am on a Monday. You got up late and reached the doctor's office at 10 am. Will the doctor wait for you? Will you be able to consult? Will your ailment be cured? I guess not. Just by being not punctual, you lose your opportunity to gain health.  Now, who lost an opportunity? You. The doctor probably did not lose anything. It is you who lost the opportunity. Just as in this example, lack of punctuality can do serious damage to your career.

What kind of damage will it do? Let us see.

1. Lose Trust

By not being punctual, you lose the trust of your colleagues and superiors. If you are regularly not on time, your colleagues and superiors stop believing in your capacity to fulfil professional tasks since you don't even take the trouble to be punctual. Because you cannot be trusted, you will not be considered the right candidate for most of the jobs. This is how losing trust may do serious damage to your career.

2. Lose opportunity

By not being punctual, you may lose the opportunities that are otherwise available for your professional growth. If your superiors and colleagues do not trust you, it is highly probable that they won't entrust you with any serious task. That means, you lose plenty of opportunities to excel, prove your mettle and become a better professional. This is how you lose opportunities by not being punctual.

3. Lose Time

By not being punctual, you lose a lot of time. You get up late, you sleep late, you reach office late, you do your work late... What happens is that you lose your discipline and end up as a lazy person. Where does all the extra time go? It goes waste. By reaching your office late, you lose precious time to do some useful work. By getting up late, you lose useful morning time. By sleeping late, you lose precious sleep. In short, by being out of time schedule, you lose a lot of time.

4. Lose Growth

By not being punctual you lose your growth as a professional, as a person and as a member of your social circles. Nobody really wants to be friends with a lazy person who does not respect others' time. No office would value a person who does not meet deadlines. No friend will want to spend time with a person who does not respect their time. They will all try to push you away, and not be associated with you. This way, by being disrespectful of others' time, you lose the growth which should have been yours otherwise.

Now, let us look at the advantages of being punctual.

1. Social Recognition

By being punctual, you will be respected by the members of your social circles, your family, your office and your neighbourhood. Don't you think a punctual person will be highly valued in comparison with a person who is not? By being punctual, you will be respected by your friends and relatives. Your relatives will love a punctual you more than a lazy one!

2. Self-Discipline

By being punctual, you grow in discipline. You will learn to sleep on time, get up on time, have bath on time, eat on time, do things on time, and be on time everywhere. This will bring unforeseen benefits into your life. Your personal life will improve. Your relationships with friends and family will improve. Your professional relationships will improve. A disciplined person would be valued much better than an undisciplined one.

3. Self-Appraisal

When you are a punctual person, you will value yourself much better. This has multiple advantages. Your self-esteem will grow. You will see yourself as a better person and will help you become as a better person. In other words, when you are a punctual person, you will have a better image of yourself. This in turn will work like a charm and improve your life.

Conclusion

As we saw in the words above, punctuality has the potential to improve your life in multiple ways. Your professional life is the largest beneficiary of being punctual. In addition, your personal life, relationships and even your self-esteem will improve as a result of being punctual. So the tagline is, "Be Punctual".