We can't wait for inspiration to strike.

We must make motivation happen.

Notes from Chapter 9 of Overlap by Sean McCabe.

Someone said “I write when inspiration strikes. Fortunately, it strikes at nine every morning.”

I don’t know who said it because when I search it online, a lot of different author names appear.

It sucks that whoever said it doesn’t get the proper credit.

I digress.

I don’t feel inspired to write this right now.

The reason I’m doing it is because I know that when I’m done, I’ll be glad I did it.

I heard from two people recently who said that when they started writing every day, their income grew exponentially.

They were Sean McCabe who wrote this book, and Nathan Barry who wrote a great book called Authority.

Right now, that’s what I’m working on.

Writing every day so that I can grow my audience so that I can grow my income.

We can’t wait for motivation to come to us.

It doesn’t.

I know, you have felt times where motivation struck.

I’ve felt them, too.

Sometimes it just hits and you can knock out some work with a smile on your face.

We’ve all been there.

But how often does that happen?

If you only worked when that happened, would you be getting much done?

I know I wouldn’t.

I don’t even think that happens once a month for me.

I have to make inspiration strike. I have to make motivation happen.

Strangely enough, once I sit doesn’t and get started, the motivation flows easier.

Getting started is the hardest part.

Sean shares his three steps to defeat a lack of motivation:

1. Start with a commitment.
2. Make yourself accountable.
3. Take the first step.

In episode 17 of the No Alarms Club podcast, we Set A Big Goal (1. Start with a commitment).

In episode 21, we Got People On Board (2. Make yourself accountable).

Now, we’re Getting Motivated (3. Take the first step).

We don’t have to be motivated. We just have to show up.

The easiest way to get started is to remove all barriers that stop you from getting started.

One option is to schedule a time of day you write.

Since I’m living a #NoAlarmsClub life, I don’t do a whole lot of scheduling.


What I do to remove barriers on writing is that I plan out my writing ahead of time.

I know what I’m going to write about when I sit down, so all I have to do is start typing.

Last post I mentioned a goal tracking calendar.

Sean talks about the idea in this chapter of the book. He got the idea from Jerry Seinfeld.

Yeah, the comedian.

Seinfeld says,

The way to be a better comic is to create better jokes. The way to create better jokes is to write every day.

He hung a big calendar on his wall. One of those ones that has every day for a whole year visible.

Then, he started marking a big red X on every day that he wrote.

For each day I do my task of writing, I get to put a big red X over that day. After a few days you’ll have a chain. Just keep at it and the chain will grow longer every day. You’ll like seeing that chain, especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your only job is to not break the chain.

Sean says we have one job: to not break our chain.