Tune Out The Inner Critic

This week, I listened to the Tim Ferris Show. He interviewed Anne Lamott, a critically acclaimed author of both fiction and non-fiction works.

Anne spoke about what she does when she struggles with that negative voice in her head.

Anne externalizes her negative voice. How does she do that?

She calls her negative voice “K F*cked Radio”. And when K F*cked Radio starts getting loud, she turns it down, tunes it out, and starts writing.

In the interview, Anne talks about how she teaches people to “write like shit”, because starting is 98% of the battle. You need to keep your butt in the chair, spit out your thoughts, get rid of that perfectionistic drive that stalls you, and just WRITE LIKE SHIT.

Ultimately, these small changes in your perspectives can help you shift your mindset and direct progress towards your goals.

1) Externalize your negative voice. It is not a part of you, it doesn’t speak the truth. Think of it as an external entity that you can turn away from, turn off, or tune out.

2) “Write like shit” first and then edit and improve from there. Your squat might look like shit in the beginning, but you can’t improve it if you don’t start squatting first!

3) Action creates momentum. Just start. You can always go back to make it better. Don’t give The Perfectionistic the first right to speak. Or you won’t say anything at all.