11 Comments

Thank you for this, Noor—what a wonderful article.

Here’s the thing: I’ve always lumped every single brain-feeding activity into the category of procrastination.

Reading an article? Watching a documentary? Staring out the window, thinking about why I'm not writing. Procrastination with a capital P.

It’s like there’s this angry teacher living in my head, wagging her finger and scolding me for wasting time.

But your perspective? It’s a revelation. You’ve managed to take something I’ve been punishing myself for and give it a delicious, guilt-free spin.

So, from the bottom of my procrastination-loving heart: thank you. Truly.

Next on the list : learn to be selfish. LOL

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So glad this resonated! I'm alway so gratified when I can convince other writers to quiet all those critical voice and just do what needs to be done to ultimately get the words flowing. Have fun :) Nothing is a waste of time.

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Wow. I have always known my life path was selfish, but no one has ever championed it quite like you did in this post. This made me cry. And that always results in a "subscribe." 😊

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Aww 🥰 glad this resonated with you! Happy we're connected now, fellow artist.

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Loved reading your article Noor. Your kind, direct manner really resonates. Kudos for tracking your data! It shows a clear, indisputable picture of your life as a writer.

It's tough - you have to be committed and most of all believe in yourself before anyone else does. You are so inspiring! I love how you are making your dream a reality. Excited to read your book ❤️

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Thank you Janet!

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My philosophy is pretty simple: We decide what's important to us by how we choose to spend our time. Granted, this gets complicated when other people (spouses, children) are in the equation.

But I am of the opinion that if creating something to you is important, you have to put it into your schedule in some way, rather than make it an afterthought or something you'll get around to it if you have a chance. I feel the same way about exercising.

If you aren't willing to put this stuff into your schedule, it's less important to you than other things. And that's OK. Cause everything in life is a tradeoff, and deciding to focus on creative pursuits will inevitably require you to make tradeoffs in other parts of your life. And only you can decide which tradeoffs are worth it to you.

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Agree with you Joe!

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What a beautiful post, Noor. Thank you for sharing how you achieved such a tremendous goal in 7 months through intentionally prioritizing your time and your mindset. Love it!

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Thanks Kathy!

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Howdy, Ms Rahman. I like you. I am very interested in this post and your views on art. I must say, as a learned artist myself, when I see your portrait image, I am touched. You have a force/presence with power to keep me reading! This is contrary to the views in your post. I must disagree if you believe all artists should be judged in the category. Many artists would sacrifice everything for art. Boys would do anything for a girl they liked. (I heard Michelangelo did the Sistine Chapel for a boy.) Even jump off a garage roof. Slam their fingers in a door frame. Lay down on a railroad track. You won't read this in school. Horace Mann made sure of that.

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