Make it easy to start

The first step of any creative project is often the hardest. You want to publish but worry that your essays will be bad. You dream of creating vlogs but are afraid that your videos will be cringe. You stare at a pristine notebook and can’t bear to even make a mark on it.

I have more than a hundred notebooks in my storeroom, yet I still struggled to write in even one. I didn’t want any of them to look messy. So I made it easy to start. I scribbled on the cover:

This notebook is meant to be MESSY!

Oops. Now that the notebook is already messy, I can’t make it worse. I can do whatever I want with less hesitation.

I got this wonderful idea from u/isopodpod:

The biggest thing is to get rid of any secret rules you're making about starting. You seem to recognize that you have at least two. First, that your commonplace book has to look good, and second, that whatever you put in there needs to meet some standard in order to be saved. You're aware that these are restrictions you're putting on yourself, and that you need to get past them.

Something I do to fight these mental blocks is 1) make a rule that I can only do this badly, and 2) make a deliberate effort to do it badly.

It helps to have a cheap notebook to start off, or start with a notebook you're already using. Write a rule in your book that entries are only allowed if they're ugly or self-indulgent. Only messy entries, or words that bring you joy are allowed. Then, whenever you want to write in your book, TRY to make it messy and self indulgent. Write in big bubble letters that you have to scribble out because they're off-center. Use a different color pen for each letter. Scratch out misspelled words. Draw little emotes, but only in pen so you can't erase. If you find yourself hesitating to put something in the book, then you HAVE to put it in. Place no restrictions, and make a point to make it kinda janky and unappealing. The only rule is that you find the content interesting, and you have fun

To start, do it badly. Worry about doing it well later.