From quite sometime, I had been in a vicious circle of daydreaming and procrastination. It affected my work on the blog and things were overwhelming. I started writing about it in my journal.
From scrolling mindlessly through the reels in the name of inspiration, to wondering how the likes and followers of others are increasing by 4 digits in a matter of days while I am still struggling to get to three digit (On Insta, reached that milestone on FB), to being intimidated by the amazing work they are doing, to trying to get that perfection (droolworthy recipe, outstanding plate, eye-catching still shot, a video worthy of stopping the scrolling, getting the right description and keywords) and daydreaming about having a virtual family and friends who share my love for cooking and relate with the work I am doing. I
I had been wondering about how much of personal life to share on the blog and wondering whether to show my face on camera or not. Then there was cribbing about the lack of time and too much work to be done. In addition, the judgement of others as to what am I doing with my life was affecting me. I had been justifying my procrastination with silly excuses (more to myself than to others). There have been many a times that I would be sitting in front of laptop, staring cluelessly at it and whiling away my time.
Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure
Paulo coelho, the alchemist
Overcoming procrastination: Realisation and motivation
While writing the journal, I realised that what others have achieved is a reflection of their passion, love, time and consistency. It is about just starting the work, posting that imperfectly shot reel and learning on the go. Experimenting and improving upon yourself, getting up every time you fall, learning from mistakes. It’s about becoming your own cheerleader. People would have an opinion ALWAYS! Even if you are doing “well” in conventional terms, you would have to face criticism or unthoughtful comments. You have to keep your reasons in mind and just do it anyway.
Why am I publishing this “journal” entry? May be because somebody wanted to hear it today that self-doubt is real, that you are your biggest critique, that everyone is dealing with issues, that people would keep saying stuff. But you need to just get up and hustle and remember “Rome wasn’t built in a day”.
“What matter is how quickly you do what your soul directs”
Rumi
If you have read it till here, you have my utmost gratitude and love. Would you want to share your experiences in the comments below? Have you checked out the food recipes yet or not? If you have any comments on the blog, I would love to know. Thank you so much for your patient reading.
I am spell bound to express my feelings. Thank you so much for an amazing food for thought. I couldn’t agree more, we procrastinate not because we are lazy, we are afraid of other opinions, we are afraid of are own failure of not hitting it right in first go, who says we can’t fail, we are afraid of self doubts. In a nut shell, procrastinate is real.
Yes Swati, indeed it is real. Now that we have realised the the real reason, hope we get the power to overcome our thinking. Hope to see that blog of yours soon. More power to you! <3
Hi Quirky Cook!
Thanks for this lovely blog. I absolutely love it and totally relate to this. “There is no shortcut to success” – Only hardwork, dedication and your talent will take you to the top. I have been following your page from a long time and in absolute awe of the efforts and quirky recipes you share😇 All the best for this journey and I look forward to the amazing content on your socials and website.
Thank you so much Anshi. I am glad you could resonate with it. Your words mean alot to me <3
The quality of the content matters most rather than the quality of video in the beginning.
Quality of video is a progressive process that can only be achieved over time, with better cameras, learning video editing, getting assistance.
Although you might have started it as Passion and for fun but Focus on Monetary outcome. It will help you feel motivated, fix the targets in numbers, avoid procrastinating, linger on; save and plan timings.
Don’t buy fancy gadgets for shooting and editing out of your pocket but earn from your project and then go for them.
Learning from others is always good but remember there is viewership for each type of content and style, so don’t worry and better build your own style.
Thank you so much for your encouraging words. I do plan to monetize my content, hopefully soon 🙂
Shall keep your suggestions in mind.
Being a food blogger is a difficult job coz you will always have a niche audience. These days so called inst influencers do all shitty stuff just for followers and viewers which is not the way to get famous. What you are doing is worth appreciating and takes a lot of patience and hardwork. Sometimes it may feel overwhelming but as a friend I can say please don’t kill your dreams by comparing it with what others are doing. Keep up the good work
Thank you for your understanding and support, college friend. These reminders are much appreciated. 🙂
It was fun reading this blog. At first it seemed very typical but actually pretty nice and bang-on relatable. Loved the originality in the way it was written. Would love to read more of your blogs!
Being able to relate and connect with is the ultimate aim of writing any piece. Thank you for your kind words.