WIP challenge: day 3 check-in!

[littlebutfierce]

We're almost to the weekend. How's the fic coming along?

Poll #8473

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7

View Respondents

How's progress on your fic going today?

View Answers

Awful
2 (33.3%)

Wonderful
1 (16.7%)

Getting there
1 (16.7%)

Not at all
2 (33.3%)

What do you plan to do for it this weekend?

View Answers

Write
4 (57.1%)

Edit
4 (57.1%)

Send to beta
1 (14.3%)

Post
0 (0.0%)

Research
3 (42.9%)

Nothing
1 (14.3%)

If you wrote today, how much did you write?

View Answers

1-249 words
1 (25.0%)

250-499 words
0 (0.0%)

500-749 words
0 (0.0%)

750-999 words
1 (25.0%)

Over 1000 words
2 (50.0%)

For discussion: Zen Habits, a productivity blog that I often find has useful things to say, has a post today about getting out of a rut. Leo says:

I’ve found that the best way out of a rut is with the smallest step possible. But that step can result in more than you realize.

What if that smallest step is to announce a major challenge?....

Here’s the thing: the first step wasn’t to take on a major challenge. It was simply announcing it. And announcing something is really really easy. Doing it is much harder, but once you’ve announced it, you have some momentum, and you’re committed to a direction.

Those of you who have signed up for the challenge have committed publicly to your goals for the month. Is this sort of public promise useful for you more generally, or does the pressure make you melt? Do you do it elsewhere, perhaps by announcing to your circle that you're going to finish fic X this week or by tweeting your progress, or... ?